Fragrance is his profession. The French master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian is at least as well known as the Richard Strauss opera “Salome”. It was reissued earlier this year after more than 50 years of standard performances at the Vienna State Opera. Director Cyril Teste, also French, who is known in his home country for his extraordinary work, is responsible for the production. “Salome” is his first independent production outside France.
“A traumatized child“
Fragrance as an olfactory element. “My Salome is a traumatized child,” says Teste. His trademark is the use of live cameras and video projections to make the protagonists even more intense for the audience. He always seeks a collective approach for his works: the French director has been working with a team of artists for many years, especially in the areas of video and light, which are so important for his work. This time he used another element: perfume in the auditorium to deepen the experience of opera by appealing to another sense.
A veil of perfume in the auditorium
And this is where the visionary fragrance creator Francis Kurkdjian comes into play. He has created an exclusive fragrance accord for the “new” Salome at the Vienna Opera. This was first sprayed in the auditorium at the premiere on February 02, 2023, in the opera’s key scene – the “Dance of the Seven Veils.” An unexpected olfactory dimension for the visitors.
Kurkdijan has been working with artists for more than 20 years, has developed fragrances for many leading fashion houses such as Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and Elie Saab, and founded his Maison Francis Kurkdjian in 2009. He developed his “Salome” fragrance, named “724,” in close collaboration with director Cyril Teste. “Cyril and I share the same vision. We tell stories in our own respective ways, each in our own language. He is my eye, I am his nose. I also like how he brings creative people together and organizes the ecosystem that results,” says the perfumer.
Growth for “724
Unfortunately, the “Salome” fragrance is not available for purchase. Nor does Francis Kurkdjian want to reveal the exact composition of the exclusive fragrance creation for the opera. Only this much: “A musky note between openness and sensuality, sexuality. Something deep, attractive, innocent and numbing.”
For this, the EdP of “724”, which was released last September, has grown. The luminous, citrus-fresh composition with an urban character is also available as a roll-on elixir and a travel set since this spring.… weiterlesen
To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn’t do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don’t know yet. But I am not only interested in “culture” and “cream”, I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell . Such unique experiences I want to share with you.
Normally, I don’t like to test fragrances because the sensations and associations that a perfume evokes are something very individual. That’s why it’s difficult to recommend a fragrance to someone. You have to experience fragrances, sniff them out. The fact that I make an exception in my product tests today is not only due to the fact that so many people – especially women – ask me about my fragrance when I wear “27 in Macao“. First and foremost, it’s because of the private story (“Histoire Privée”) behind Len that fascinated me.
From Russia with love
It begins with a French officer and the lost war of 1812. François de La Lenes, before returning home, had to take a job in Russia. He became a French teacher for the children of the family of the Russian Count Artuchowski. As a token of his love, he gave the lady of the house two perfume recipes. But another 200 years passed before the formulas 2015 became fragrances.
Great-granddaughter Jelena von Olnhausen founded the Len Fragrance brand with the “Histoire Privée” fragrance line. The result is six perfumes, each of which tells a real or fictional love story. Each package features elements of the love stories and symbols of the city in which they are set. They are repeated on the back of the label when viewed through the bottle. By the way, the name “Len” goes back to the first perfumer “de la Lenes”. In the meantime, a renowned perfume artist is responsible for the fragrances. The Frenchman Michel Almairac has already worked for all well-known brands – from Bottega Veneta to Chloé and Gucci to Zadig &Voltaire.
The fragrance of Macao
Why did the oriental-spicy aroma of “27 in Macao” do it to me? Because the island off Hongkong, just an hour away by boat, fascinated me in a repulsively attractive way during my first and only visit. Gambling everywhere you look. Well-heeled Chinese. Tragic losers. Monstrous casinos. In 2018, they generated an annual turnover of almost 35 billion euros.
Huge shopping malls line the Cotai Strip. Night screaming neon signs, the Eiffel Tower in Cotai shines in pink and from the landmark of the city, the 338 m high Macau Tower one experiences breathtaking views. The city rightly earns its nickname “Las Vegas of Asia”. When I first got a whiff of “27 in Macau,” I immediately thought, “Yeah, that’s what Macao smells like.“… weiterlesen
To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn’t do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don’t know yet. But I am not only interested in “culture” and “cream”, I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell . Such unique experiences I want to share with you.
So far I just didn’t like the scents of lavender because the smell always reminds me of my grandmother’s linen cupboard. Old-fashioned, tidy, fresh linen, distinguished old lady were my associations from childhood. And most lavender scents also smell rather cheap and penetrating. Nevertheless I love the blooming lavender in my garden, but on my skin as a perfume, no thanks. Until recently I was able to sniff the “Le Passant” fragrance from the Parisian perfume brand Ormaie. It changed my mind. The brand is still new. The family business was founded in 2018 by mother Marie-Lise Jonak and son Baptiste Bouygues.
Dedicated to her husband
Marie-Lise actually dedicated the fragrance to her husband and father of her son Baptiste. He loved classic French perfumery and has used only one brand of a Fougère Cologne all his life. Fougère is a very classic fragrance composition with a French background. The accord of lavender, bergamot and germanium first appeared in Paul Parquet’s perfume “Fougère Royale” for Houbigant in 1882 and became groundbreaking for men’s fragrances. But “Le Passant”, English passer-by, a woman can wear just as well, if not better. Because the flowery sweetness exudes a very specific sensuality. “It hints of a certain masculine sensuality”, so the comment of the brand. Well, this is certainly not to every man’s taste.
“Essence & Alchemy”
As long as there has been passion, there has been perfume. Mandy Aftel tracks in scent through the boudoir and the bath and into the sanctums of worship, and along the way teaches us the art of perfume-making, including many of her own recipes, offering insights on the relationship of scent to solitude, sex, and soul. 254 Seiten, 38,95 Euro*
A fragrance completely without synthetics
In any case, lavender-green freshness and the sweetness of vanilla and tonka beans mix with the earthy-woody aroma of sandalwood. And all without synthetics. Ormaie fragrances are 100% natural. Fits, because the name Ormaie means elm grove. But it wasn’t just the content that won me over to the French brand. Each of the seven existing bottles is a work of art in itself. Designer objects that are far too beautiful to hide them in the bathroom.
The overall concept of the fragrance line pays homage to nature. The bottles are made from recycled glass by the French company Saverglass, which recycles its own glass. For the modernist closures, inspired by the Romanian-French sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, who died in 1904, recycled beech wood is used, which comes from French, sustainably managed forests.… weiterlesen
To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn’t do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don’t know yet. But I am not only interested in “culture” and “cream”, I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell . Such unique experiences I want to share with you.
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