Milhaud’s Ballade utilizes his signature polytonality and rhythmic complexity within a concise, modern framework. It is distinct for its acerbic wit and kinetic, percussive piano writing.
Mastering the crisp articulation required for the jagged, multi-layered textures is essential.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade (Op.61) is rated Henle level 7 of 9 — late advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grade 8 and above. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 7 — meaning you can already play level 6–7 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.61) lasts about 5 minutes.
Ballade (Op.61) 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 Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin, L'isle joyeuse by Claude Debussy, Rhapsody in Blue (Solo Piano) by George Gershwin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.