Welcome to The Works, showcasing the very best new releases from the world of classical music. Opening this week’s selection is pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s arrangement and performance of the “Air” from J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3. Ólafsson imbues the piece with both a dance-like grace and, through subtle and inventive use of the sustain pedal, a dream-like ethereality. “When the music I’m longing to play wasn’t originally written for the piano, I always begin by looking to see whether someone has already made an arrangement that captures the piece as I hear it in my mind,” Ólafsson tells Apple Music Classical. “If I can’t find one—as was the case here—I really have no choice but to make my own.” Ólafsson admits that any arrangement risks either overstating, or understating, Bach’s original. There is constant motion in the music, he explains, yet somehow it seems suspended outside time. “I have to confess that this was one of the most difficult tracks I have ever recorded,” says Ólafsson. “We made two complete versions, one on grand piano and one on upright; and over the course of several months I must have recorded more than 50 full takes.” Through constant refinement, of both the arrangement and his performance, Ólafsson has achieved a beautiful blend of modern aesthetics and a faithfulness to the score. We regularly update The Works, so if you find a piece of music or a performance you particularly love, don’t forget to add it to your library.