Adam Skarżyński, associated with the Polish Romantic tradition, composed this work with a clear focus on technical display and emotional intensity. It reflects the nationalist spirit prevalent in mid-19th-century keyboard composition.
Ensure the rhythmic drive remains precise during high-velocity passages without becoming frantic.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade (Op.2) 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 (Op.2) lasts about 6 minutes.
Ballade (Op.2) 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 Piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique' by Ludwig van Beethoven, Rhapsody in G minor, No. 2 by Johannes Brahms, Allegro Appassionato by Alexander Scriabin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.