Tempo Rubato, Italian for “stolen time,” is an expressive device in every pianist’s toolkit. Yet how and when to use it is controversial. We explore the ways musicians have employed rubato over the centuries, and what taking time in music can teach us about freedom. Ft. Anne-Marie McDermott, Simone Dinnerstein, Andrew Tyson, Emanuel Ax and more, with recorded excerpts from Bach and Mozart to Chopin and Rachmaninoff.