Nicolás Ruiz Espadero was a pivotal figure in Cuban piano music, and his ballades often incorporate complex, layered textures. This work is distinguished by its sudden harmonic shifts and rhythmic unpredictability.
Pay close attention to the intricate arpeggios and ensuring they do not overpower the primary melody.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade No.1 (Op.20) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
Ballade No.1 (Op.20) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Ballade No.2 by Nicolás Ruiz Espadero, 'Ch'io mi scordi di te?' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Asturias (Leyenda) by Isaac Albéniz — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.