The second partita in Bach's set is notable for its more dramatic and complex movements, including a substantial Sinfonia. It demonstrates Bach's sophisticated compositional techniques and expressive depth within the Baroque suite form.
Developing fluency in contrapuntal textures and navigating the dramatic shifts between movements is key.
Partita No. 2 in C minor (BWV 826) is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Partita No. 2 in C minor (BWV 826) lasts about 20 minutes.
Partita No. 2 in C minor (BWV 826) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.