Brüll’s Ballade is a charming, idiomatic example of late 19th-century salon music with a structural nod to the classical ballade. It is notable for its seamless transition between lyrical episodes and brief, virtuosic flourishes.
The performer must maintain a consistent, flowing pulse during the rapid sixteenth-note passages while keeping the melody singing above the accompaniment.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade (Op.84) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
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.84) lasts about 5 minutes.
Ballade (Op.84) 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 Berceuse by Ignaz Brüll, Liebestraum No. 3 in A-flat major by Franz Liszt, 16 Waltzes by Johannes Brahms — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.