Symphonie-Passion

Woods. Aromatic and dry, something prickly in it - like pine needles they say - yes!, same time - sensing slight dampness - as in forest with live woods.. how can it be at the same time!? fascinating for me.. It is great to have a list of ingredients: something I always liked, but would not guess correctly and just "tortured" myself- Peony! Not loud perfume - even subdued if you like. Sophisticated yet natural. Incredible longevity. In my opinion- masculine scent, not unisex. I went in thoughts for a moment when found that this is the choice of Roman Papa Francis (I've found it while visiting Rome and Vatican).. well, I like this progressive Papa so this fact finally added some interesting edge to the affect this perfume causes (aren't they all should?). At first I didn't appreciate the given name. I do now, over time: it does encourage those "waves" in emotional state - from serenity and contemplation to desire and determination. Music like that. I would offer to experience it by not judging on one/first whiff. Please give it a time. Although the sudden and first encounter with this fragrance is good on its own as well. Overall - outstanding perfume. One of my absolute favorites. Thank you.

This is a very nice aromatic outdoorsy scent. Some citrus, vetiver and woods. This is a very linear fragrance. It's good for invigorating you. I find its not sweet enough to be unisex. I'd love it on a guy. For an extrait it is not that strong but I suspect it's more down to the notes in this. The wood notes not surprisingly are the ones that hang around the longest. Moderate silage and longevity.

Jalapeño vetiver with peony. And I LOVE it. Sycomore smells like cigarette and Encre Noire is too masculine and dark. I can catch the similarities but this one has them beat.

Filippo Sorcinelli's ecclesiastically-themed perfume brand UNUM seems like the definition of niche, but it is given more context by his earlier work as a designer of custom sacred vestments at his atelier LAVS, as well as being a classical musician. Steeped in Italian Catholic tradition with more than a little inspiration given by classical and high church music, UNUM's brief is utterly compelling to me. I was raised Catholic, and I have a great appreciation for Italian culture, art and history. Symphonie Passion was one of only two UNUM decants available. It is a moody woody scent, vetiver-dominant, inspired by the virtuoso organist Marcel Dupré, composer of the symphony from which this perfume takes its name. An organist himself, Mr. Sorcinelli was inspired to create this after playing an organ that Dupré had played previously. The symphony was composed exactly a century ago, and tells the story of the life of Jesus in four movements. While I wouldn't describe this scent itself as symphonic, it brings to mind a dark church, complete with wooden pews and a stone exterior. SP opens with a light lemon note, the perfect prelude to the vetiver that follows. Lemon pairs extremely well with vetiver when done well, adding some brightness to counteract the astringent quality associated with vetiver, and in turn, the normally sharp, acidic lemon is tempered by the woodiness. A perfectly complementary pair, this accord is aromatic and somewhat restorative. The slightly aquatic peony marries nicely with it, adding a soft, aquatic floral edge. The vetiver that follows - the main event - is grassy and dry, not too astringent in its own right. It is high-quality, reminiscent of good vintage vetivers like Guerlain Vétiver, my go-to gold standard. There is a greenness to it initially, but it becomes steadily more woody and dry as it progresses. There is a mineralic quality to this scent as it progresses, usually not my favourite thing, but here it is subtle and thematically appropriate. It reminds me of stone walls in the rain, evocative of stone exterior walls and heavy church gates. Conceptually, it is like the wood and nails of the crucifix, but in a subtle, sterile manner. It melds well with the other notes from an olfactory perspective too. I don't usually like cashmeran, but it is put to good use here, contributing to the scent without overpowering the other notes. It becomes slightly musky as it fades, with the vetiver-led woody accord persisting until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a unisex, year-round daytime scent, wearable despite being high-concept. Wonderfully melancholic, this is an olfactory sketch of an old church. 4/5.

Symphonie-Passion is Sorcinelli's hommage to one of his heroes - French organist and composer Marcel Dupré, whose composition of the same name is a profound meditation on key events in the life of Jesus. It was based on improvisations on ancient hymns and chants, a skill that Sorcinelli himself honed as an organist and has since adapted to his work as a perfumer. Thus the industry's traditional citrus-veitiver combination (familiar from Guerlain's Vetiver, amongst others) is expanded in this perfumer's hands to embrace floral and smoky/woody notes, interwoven with the main theme, to parallel the way a dry and dusty instrument can project sweetness and light, through the artist's mystical concentration and intense creativity. Inspired by the twin meanings of the word "Passion" ('the suffering of Jesus' and 'barely controlled emotion'), Sorcinelli threads successive notes into his olfactory composition. A fleeting floral opening (desire awakened) is followed by a shock of prickly vetiver (desire thwarted or denied) and an enduring woody dry down (pain endured in the service of love) which then fades away into an ambiguous silence (leaving unanswered the question, 'Is this pain unbearable or can it be transformative?) One observer of the composer at work was moved to say “When Dupré improvised, he prayed, whereas any other organist improvises, but does not pray.” It is tempting to suggest that Sorcinelli's work at its best is a kind of prayer, arising from improvisation: a series of tortured attempts to give meaning to art and life through the medium of perfumery. The "press release for the brand" quoted at the top of the page is an unintelligible philosophical pastiche ,which seems to be saying "Buy this perfume and you are buying into an esoteric worldview." This is intellectual snobbery and frankly off-putting. Sorcinelli 's authentic voice is to be found, not in this gobbledygook, but in the haunting melancholy this fragrance portrays, as Death awaits Resurrection.