The Unfinished Ninth is Anton Bruckner’s final composition. He worked on the finale of this symphony, which continues the weighty tradition of its eight predecessors, until his death in 1896. He fervently hoped to be able to finish the last movement and even spoke of it to his doctor. Because the apartment was sealed too late after his death, all kinds of authorized and unauthorized persons immediately pounced on the existing manuscript pages. Its creator, however, had finally realized that his strength and time would not be enough to complete it. He therefore decreed that his “Te Deum”, completed twelve years earlier, should be played instead of the fourth movement. However, the symphony is often simply performed unfinished. It is framed by two short contemporary works by Arvo Pärt and Periklis Koukos, which reflect on the atmosphere of Good Friday in a meditative manner.