Question about Paganini Rhapsody

[beethovenfan01]

Hi all,

I've just been looking over the score for Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini and I noticed a few sections marked "ad libitum." (In Variations 9 and 14, for example). What did Rachmaninoff mean by this marking? As I've heard, ad libitum generally means "at your leisure." Which in this context means what? Are the Ad Lib sections optional, or does this mean something else?

Valentina Lisitsa plays the ad lib sections in her recording.

Any thoughts on this? Thanks!

[abr314]

my understanding is that to "ad lib" implies an extemporaneous interpretation at some level, you'll be free to play that section how you like in the moment. Highly doubt this means that the sections are "optional"

[beethovenfan01]

my understanding is that to "ad lib" implies an extemporaneous interpretation at some level, you'll be free to play that section how you like in the moment. Highly doubt this means that the sections are "optional"

Yes that's what I thought, and even if they were "optional" I would play them ...

The trouble is that both of these passages are very tight and with the orchestra, so there's not a lot of room for extemporaneous interpretation ...

Oh and I found another score on IMSLP that also has the same markings in it, so ...

[furiouzpianist]

my understanding is that to "ad lib" implies an extemporaneous interpretation at some level, you'll be free to play that section how you like in the moment. Highly doubt this means that the sections are "optional"

those sections are optional to play, but most people play them because Rachmaninoff does that in his 1934 recording.

Yes I've played the piece many times.

[abr314]

those sections are optional to play, but most people play them because Rachmaninoff does that in his 1934 recording.

Yes I've played the piece many times.

My bad. Thank you for clearing that up