Divine Attraction Initio 2015

No idea if he liked the title "Critic Pope." But in his wonderfully old-fashioned series "Kaisers Klassik-Kunde," the late Joachim Kaiser, who passed away last year, showed, let’s say, at least signs of the habitus of a person who is not entirely dissatisfied with himself and is aware of his rank.

Not entirely without reason. Who can still draw from such a broad reservoir of education, including that seemingly joyfully purposeless knowledge that causes secret discomfort among today's educational politicians (for good reason)? The old master drew from a rich reservoir and seasoned his knowledgeable presentations with anecdotes. The icing on the cake for me is the delightful East Prussian dialect, which reminds me of the speech of my third grandmother, who came from the village "Opelischken Post Kraupischken." Various episodes of the series can be found on YouTube - a treasure for anyone interested in music beyond a superficial level.

When asked, "Why is Wilhelm Furtwängler considered the greatest conductor of all time?" (youtube.com/watch?v=TTLm8EsC2KU), Kaiser initially responded by stating that for him, Wilhelm Furtwängler is not only the greatest conductor but perhaps even the greatest music interpreter who ever lived. He describes: "When I listen to old Furtwängler recordings... I think at first: God, it’s not that much better than the others, on the contrary... And suddenly, he has one again!"

I experienced something similar, though not as extreme, with 'Divine Attraction.' A resinous-sour opening that touches on the needly is soon accompanied by white Tipp-Ex (Elemi?)-smoke; it is followed by a warming that then evokes a distant association with the (overall much simpler) 'Bois d'Encens' by Armani through the combination of bright resinous and coal-warm aspects.

So, it’s not that outstanding. I’ve smelled everything already, and certainly not worse. On the contrary, Iso's contribution seems to me to be too pronounced.

But suddenly, he has one. Because the scent lives precisely from this so-called "chemical" brightness, which, despite the partial warmth, gives it a pale aura of a cold fire, a cold fireplace. And there’s something to ponder over: a kind of leather of unclear origin; schoolbag-like, although less coarse than the offensively tarry direction.

Gradually, as noon approaches, it becomes milder and sweeter. Later, I imagine a dark, presumably artificial wood note that encompasses the coaliness. Do I not also smell pepper, playing with the proximity to incense? And is the wood actually dark or rather light? And what about the vetiver - was it perhaps already responsible for the seemingly chemically brightened impression at the front? After about six or seven hours, the sweet grass fully reveals its sour fresh potential and not only brushes off the rubbery aspect but almost hints at something charred. However, this stands in a charming contrast to a warm, almost spicy foundation of wood and my riddle-leather. The gentle sweetness rounds it off pleasantly, and the scent, despite the undeniably bitter note, no longer feels distant. Instead, I find 'Divine Attraction' now very elegant and absolutely suitable for a suit. This last part is the most beautiful phase of the fragrance.

And that may tip the scales: From the cool to the warm, from the demanding to the engaging - many fragrances take this path, though probably not always entirely voluntarily, often rather forced by typical base representatives. I don’t have that feeling here.

I thank Woodpecker for the sample.