Rachmaninoff arranged his own songs and works by composers such as Schubert, Mendelssohn and Bizet for solo piano. The majority of these arrangements were written after Rachmaninoff left his homeland, Russia, in 1917. Around this time, Rachmaninoff, who had previously focused his performance activities primarily on his own compositions, began actively performing works by other composers, marking a period when his career as a pianist truly took off.

"Liebesleid" (Love's Sorrow) is an arrangement of the eponymous work for violin and piano by Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), an Austrian composer and violinist who was a prominent figure in the first half of the 20th century. The original score's opening bears the tempo marking "Tempo di Ländler," indicating an awareness of the "Ländler," a South German dance that predates the waltz. However, Rachmaninoff's arrangement begins with "Tempo di Valse." This suggests that Rachmaninoff sought a more urban and sophisticated atmosphere for this work, rather than a rustic dance. Indeed, a closer look at the music reveals rhythmic alterations, such as the insertion of rests to delay the main theme's melody, which imbue it with elements of a flamboyant Viennese waltz, akin to "Liebesfreud" (Love's Joy) for solo violin and piano, which is often performed alongside the original "Liebesleid." Furthermore, the persistent insertion of chromatic figures in the inner voices expands the melancholic atmosphere of the original into a depiction of more complex emotions.

Incidentally, "Liebesleid" is the original German title for "Love's Sorrow." While "Leid" is translated into Japanese as "sadness," "heartache," or "suffering," giving a uniform impression, its perception differs significantly between Germany and Austria, even within the same German-speaking region. In Germany, the word is understood in a sense very close to the Japanese concept of "sadness," evoking pathos and despair. For Austrians, however, it carries a sense of hope and longing. When examining Rachmaninoff's arrangement of this work, it appears that this interplay of "sorrow" and "longing" is expressed with greater clarity.