[3] Subtitled Theme and Variations, the ballet was danced in nine sections: Vision, Toil, Famine, Blasphemy, Ruthlessness, Pestilence, Mourning, Prayer and Death.
[1] Reutter's music, Variations on Bach's Chorale 'Komm' Süsser Tod' (Come Sweet Death) served as a structure for the work.
"[5] Elevated on a platform above stage level, Reese portrayed the monk, reacting to the dancers below by means of pantomime.
The chorus was costumed in black and gray, which combined with the "wooden impersonality and drive" of its movements, created a sinister mood.
[5] The critic for Dance Magazine praised the performance: "Many of the variations contained feats of technique, but all were accomplished with an amazing ease and actual élan."