A Midsummer Dream Roja Parfums 2016

“Look there! Up ahead under the old oaks near the clearing,” Chris whispered to his friend Will, roughly pointing with his index finger in that direction. Will, who was nervously crouching on his knees, pushed aside the dense underbrush hanging down from the rock ledge. The air shimmered in the heat of this late summer day when suddenly this incredible and legendary scene manifested before his eyes...

The two had always been good friends. Always on the lookout for new adventures, they had recently rummaged through an old attic. In the process, they stumbled upon an old map. Dusty and written in faded ink, this fragile parchment depicted a place they believed they actually knew. The map showed the enchanted clearing in the Dark Forest. Many eerie tales surround this forest in general and the clearing in particular. That’s why they had never dared to go there, even though curiosity had always tempted them. But now, with this old map, they could no longer resist the temptation to visit this place. For at the destination of this map was something incredible depicted…

Will couldn't believe his eyes. “Pinch me hard,” he asked his buddy. “I think I’m dreaming…”
On an old gnarled stump of cedar wood sat a Pan. At the base of the stump, a carpet of orange, summery citrus flowers twined around it. Sweet and benevolent, they filled the surroundings with their herbaceous, sweet, creamy scent. The Pan himself, an ancient being from long-lost times, had two legs overgrown with moss and lichen, resembling those of a ram. On his head, two impressively curved horns gleamed softly and velvety in the fading evening sun. In his hands, he held a pan flute, and every time he played it, it released sparkling bubbles of fine musk. The bubbles got caught in his long wooden beard, burst, and mingled with the other aromas into an essence worthy of such a figure.
What a breathtaking image and what a breathtaking scent it was that the evening breeze gently and inconspicuously carried over to the two. An atmosphere from another world, which couldn’t have been more magical…

“Come on Will, let’s go before he discovers us,” Chris urged his friend. Will replied softly, “Yes, let’s disappear and keep this a secret. This shall be our secret of the summer…”

***

A Midsummer Dream was surprisingly, after a long time, an olfactory landmark for me. On one hand, the aura of this rather complex work reached me, and on the other hand, it convinced me just as much. The very fact that I could immediately draw an imaginary bridge to Terre d'Hermes and a little to The Tycoon during the first test made me sink deeply into this composition.
The connection is, in my opinion, obvious. The orange blossoms and the citrus sprinkles at the beginning are richer and clearer in Midsummer than in TDH, with all their facets. Especially the top note scores here, although it appears less dry and brittle, but rather expressive and present - simply beautiful.
The further development is enhanced by the velvety and soft resins, which add fullness and depth. Through the magical aura of the forest moss, it sparkles continuously, and every time those soap bubbles burst and the scent molecules disperse as a fine veil in the surroundings, it was all over for me! The elegantly woven musk characterizes and shapes the scent structure significantly and represents, for me, an essential component in the entire spectrum. All these components ultimately make Midsummer what it is:
Magical, mysterious, truly a bit like something out of a fairy tale, and deeply touching to the soul…

Since this was the first Roja I delved into, I can and must slightly correct my opinion regarding the label. Mainly the probably exaggerated pricing policy, as the price for Midsummer also seems relatively high to me. To what extent this is actually justified, I cannot judge. Another small drawback of the scent would probably be the lack of edges and corners. The scent is always round, soft, smooth… a soul-soother indeed. But that’s exactly what it wants to be… a midsummer night’s dream!

“The cheerful man is the master of his soul” (William Shakespeare)

I was very pleased to welcome you on this dreamy summer night...