Dedicated to 'dem lieben Gott' (the beloved God), Bruckner's monumental Ninth Symphony in D minor was intended to be the culmination of his life's work. Bruckner began working on the Ninth Symphony in the summer of 1887, immediately after finishing his Eighth, but he died in 1896 before finishing the fourth and final movement. Nonetheless, Bruckner's Ninth Symphony is often performed as a mighty, visionary large-scale three-movement work. Shimmering strings and low brass start the opening movement, Feierlich, misterioso, followed by the Scherzo and an achingly expansive Adagio.