Piece Comment

"Words" Is a Treat for treat for the Senses: a YEB review


Woven with music and language, ‘Words’ is both a collection of poetry and a poem in and of itself. Ari Rappaport’s voice is crisp and clear from start to finish. In his intro, he speaks directly to the listener. While sentences are a bit long to follow at first (sometimes I got hung up on the words rather than their meanings) the message of questioning our perceptions still comes through.
The three poems that follow are breathtaking. They inspire the listener’s imagination and ask questions without directly posing any. In between the poems are short interludes where we hear what others have to say about poetry. Reaching out to others for this piece adds a variety of voice and color. But it is undoubtedly Ari’s poems- and his deliberate and thoughtful delivery – that are the heart of this piece.
The music that underlies the piece is occasionally distracting. Yet the texture it adds gives the piece richness and sometimes mimics features of the poem. For example, during the first poem, the fast movement of the sitar almost mimics the buzzing of the flies.
This is a piece well suited for a poetry month feature, an alternative show, or any show themed on poetry, philosophy and maybe even perception. It would do well to jerk listeners out of the drone of daily news stories.
‘Words’ is a treat for the senses, and for the philosopher in us all. It invites us to listen again and again, each time uncovering a new element, a new feeling, and a new realization.