Bruckner's Ninth Symphony is his swan song. Two years before his death, he sighed to a friend, "I have achieved what I could achieve, and I only hope that I will be permitted to complete my Ninth Symphony. Three movements have already been completed. The Adagio is almost finished. Remains the finale. I trust that death will not take away my pen."

That finale should have consisted of a Te Deum, making the piece a choral symphony in the vein of Beethoven's Ninth. It did not materialize.

By the time of his death on Oct. 11, 1896, six versions of the finale existed, not one of them complete. Most performances therefore end with the Adagio, and in a way that is a blessing in disguise. The Adagio is a beautiful "Farewell to Life," as Bruckner noted at one particular excerpt. Thus Bruckner's Ninth became his "Unvollendete," a romantic genre in its own right. Everyone may fill in the finale themselves.

Otto Kettings Ithaka Symphony
Otto Kettings Ithaka Symphony was composed especially for the Residentie Orkest by Elmer Schönberger. The basis for this fascinating music goes back to 1986, when Kettings opera "Ithaka" had its world premiere at De Nationale Opera in Amsterdam. Breathtaking music!