rubato
Tempo rubato (Italian stolen time) is a musical term for slightly speeding up or slowing down the tempo of a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor. It also requires the use of altering the relationships among the written note values and the played ones. While it is often associated with music of the Romantic Period, good classical performers frequently use it for emotional expressiveness (in all kinds of works) and to enhance/idealize the rhythm (softening edges), while remaining stylistically viable and in good taste.
Play it through the way it is and it’s flat and tastless, some dusty antique. Which is why every pianist who attempts it adds something of his own, something extra. Like this - hear how he articulates there? Adding rubato.
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
