Baton’s Ballade No. 2 is a subtle, impressionistic work that utilizes coloristic harmonies and delicate textures. It evokes a dreamlike, narrative quality that drifts away from traditional functional tonality.
Precise pedaling and careful attention to voicing are essential to convey the shimmering atmosphere.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade No.2 (Op.43) 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.
A typical performance of Ballade No.2 (Op.43) lasts about 5 minutes.
Ballade No.2 (Op.43) 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 Caledonian Market by Poldowski, Bacchus by Victor Alphonse Duvernoy, Ballade No.2 by Emmanuel Rhené-Baton — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.