Question on Rachmaninoff Prelude 23/10

[southpaw]

I'm teaching myself Rachmaninoff op. 23/10 in G-flat, and I am confused about the notation.

I don't know how to paste the music into this message, so I will try to describe the passage carefully.

I am using the Kalmus Piano Series edition.   In measure 51, in the right hand, the fourth eighth-note appears to be a g-natural, since the flat in the key signature was cancelled at the beginning of the measure.  At the same time, the triplets in the left hand arrive at what appears to be g-flat, since the flat is not cancelled in the left hand.

I am wondering if it is supposed to be a g-flat in the right hand at that point.  Musically, that would make more sense, because this passage is part of a descending progression, and there is an a-flat over a-flat in the parallel phrase in measure 49, then g-natural over g-natural in measure 50.  As written, the g-natural over the g-flat just doesn't sound right.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[nicco]

No its correct that in the right hand you have g natural and a g flat in the left. However they are not to be pressed at the same time, so it wont sound so strange. Another thing is the phrasing wich is slightly different from the other measures in this area, with 3 chords giving the melody, different from the other measures where there are 2. (Measure 55 also has the same phrasing, if you look at the first triplet in the right hand you will see, again, there is a g natural over a g flat, also not pressed at the same time)

good luck