Víkingur Ólafsson Preps Bach Album ‘Continuum II’
The pianist recorded the project entirely inside his new Icelandic home studio, The Nutshell.
Víkingur Ólafsson has announced Continuum II, a new album of music by J.S. Bach, for release through Deutsche Grammophon on November 13, 2026. Recorded entirely at The Nutshell, the pianist’s new home studio in Iceland, the album combines original keyboard works with Ólafsson’s arrangements and transcriptions. His grand piano version of “Air on the G String” is out today, July 17, with the Larghetto from the Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D major, BWV 972, following on August 14. The full album will be available digitally, on CD, and on vinyl.
The project follows the first Continuum volume, released in October 2024, and continues Ólafsson’s long-running engagement with Bach. The pianist said he has played some Bach every day for more than 30 years, describing the practice as “the one constant factor in my life.” Continuum II is the first album he has recorded entirely at The Nutshell, a teak-walled remote studio beneath his home. Ólafsson said the setup allows him to begin recording whenever an idea arrives, including late at night without leaving the house.
The program focuses on music associated with domestic settings and includes six chorales performed on piano, among them “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” BWV 436, “Welt, ade!,” BWV 27/VI, and “Es ist genug,” BWV 60/V. Ólafsson also recorded grand and upright piano versions of his arrangement of the “Air” from Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, dedicating the score to György Kurtág for the composer’s 100th birthday. Additional pieces include the Largo from the Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor and an arrangement of the Adagio from the Violin Sonata No. 5 in F minor, performed with the Siggi String Quartet and bassist Xun Yang.
Ólafsson won his first Grammy Award for his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and has surpassed one billion streams worldwide, according to Deutsche Grammophon. His performance of the Goldberg Variations with Olafur Eliasson’s real-time light installation at Lucerne Festival PULSE begins streaming on STAGE+ on July 18, 2026. He will appear at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 22 and at London’s Wigmore Hall from September 10 through 12. On October 23, Ólafsson will give the world premiere of Mark Simpson’s Piano Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall.
