MacMillan drew inspiration for his choreography from William Blake's drawings of human and sacred figures. The work begins with the entry of a group of mourners to the first section of Fauré's Requiem, the 'Introitus'. Their fists are clenched and mouths open in silent despair, and a figure is held high above their heads. The piece moves through a series of linked vignettes, the Company fluidly adopting roles of mourners and angels or spirits. There are some striking pas de deux and a touching solo that MacMillan based on watching his youngest daughter at play. The setting reinforces themes of loss and transcendence: against a spare, white backdrop, translucent pillars reach upwards, evoking the space of a church.
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