Basically, I would have preferred to write just a statement, but there is a bit more to say about this one.
Fragrances often evoke images or memories for me - sometimes even associations with music. And Civet feels to me like the performance of an orchestra.
The opening is beautifully citrusy - spicy with a good amount of pepper. Soon, the first notes from the base join in, and you can tell - this will not be a Moldau or a Gershwin. Because shortly thereafter, the top note disappears, and the first strong notes from the base push forward like the percussion in an orchestra, without becoming truly loud. Hyacinth comes in, and the soapy quality becomes dominant - and quite irritating, to be honest. At this point, the orchestra has apparently decided to reinterpret Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and indulges in dissonance. But lo and behold - the hyacinth quiets down, and a fine melody with frangipani develops, still underpinned by the percussion of the base, which now accompanies the melody rather softly. The last piccolos from the top note gradually fall silent, and it becomes increasingly harmonious.
Suddenly: a timpani strike, everything is loud again, and a cat runs scared across the stage. Balsamic-sweet and slightly citrusy, this spectacle unfolds. In between, the flowers try to make their voices heard until the cacophony gradually subsides, and the strings, in the form of flowers, pick up a melody again. The melody is led by ylang and vanilla, nuanced by coffee and tuberose, and together with soft frangipani, the scent becomes really beautiful from here on. This not-so-brief interlude then ends in a crescendo of balsamic, spicy sweetness, which ultimately forms the base of the fragrance and thus the final part of this composition. By the way, the cat is back too. It lies in the background and dozes off.
Now: Civet is a modern chypre that offers only a slight animalic quality for me. Overall, I find it more masculine and absolutely wearable. I can understand that some may feel reminded of old-fashioned chypre fragrances, but it does not achieve their elegance due to the existing dissonances.
Thanks to Floyd for the testing opportunity.
I might prefer dissonant exuberance in music rather than in scents. That's why I enjoyed hearing your cat on stage without feeling the need to test the fragrance.
What a shame that the scent doesn't seem to come together as a whole for so long. The notes sound so good, though, that I'm still curious to see if the orchestra would tune in nicely for me :)
Encore for your interpretation!