Blanchet’s Ballade No. 3 reflects the early 20th-century Swiss tradition of piano composition that bridges Romanticism and impressionism. It is characterized by dense, rolling piano writing and sweeping, dramatic gestures.
The challenge lies in balancing the heavy, complex arpeggiated accompaniments with the soaring upper melodies.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade No.3 (Op.32) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 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.3 (Op.32) lasts about 7 minutes.
Ballade No.3 (Op.32) 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 Emile-Robert Blanchet, Ballade No.1 by Emile-Robert Blanchet, Barcarolle by Xaver Scharwenka — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.