Histoires de Parfums Opera Collection: 1831,1875, 1904 and 1926

Histoires de Parfums is a Parisian perfume house that was one of the early purveyors of niche perfume but they seem to fly under the radar. I have always thought they made high quality, interesting perfumes with a slight reminiscence to perfumes of the past. Gérald Guislain, founder, is inspired by literary characters, music, and poems, and has created a perfumed library based on these references. The Opera Collection was released in 2014 but I only recently became aware of it. The collection was inspired by five great title roles in the operatic world, and the year in the perfume's name is the date that the opera premiered. I have previously reviewed 1890 Le Dame de Pique, and now review the other four in the collection. If you have a yen for fragrances that remind you of perfumes of the past, then Histoires de Parfums Opera Collection could be your ticket to that era.

1831 Norma Bellini

I was not familiar with this opera, Norma, but it turns out that this is the role that Maria Callas sang more than any other, and some consider the title character's songs a perfect demonstration of the bel canto style of operatic performance. Bel canto in this instance means an almost athletic display of vocal prowess, and sopranos consider the part of Norma "the role of roles". This opera is set in Druid times and Norma is a high priestess whose story involves love, betrayal, and ultimately tragedy when she offers herself as a human sacrifice on the alter pyre.

Here is Maria Callas displaying these vocal thrills.




1831 Norma Bellini is a floral aldehyde in the grand tradition. Although the conception of the floral aldehyde dates back to 1921 when Ernest Beaux created the now iconic Chanel No. 5, it was still a popular style in the 1970s when I got my first real exposure to perfume, so this one creates a lot of nostalgic memory flashes for me. 1831 opens with a soapy, sharp, nose-clearing blast of aldehydes. You can also smell the rose. Fairly quickly the ylang ylang becomes apparent, and if you visualize color when you smell scent as I sometimes do, this  perfume presents as yellow, with sunshine radiance and that slight powder note that ylang ylang sometimes displays. After some time the jasmine, mingling with the rose, make their presence known. The scent hums along with the aldehydes, florals, and labdanum. Hours later the patchouli and benzoin give a slight spice and earthiness, along with the smoke of incense. The florals are still faintly present, but are more muted by the deeper notes. The perfume pyramid also lists vanilla and praline, but I never sense either of these notes. On my skin the perfume is a brilliant display of light and sparkle, eventually fading to a smoldering funeral pyre. Longevity is excellent.

1875 Carmen Bizet

The opera Carmen was written by French composer Georges Bizet and premiered in Paris in 1875. The lead, Carmen, was a somewhat shocking protagonist for this era. A strong women, she smokes, dances, seduces and betrays lovers, all with no thought to her honor or reputation. I found that the scent 1875 Carmen Bizet portrays a more masculine aura, as if defining Carmen's non-traditional feminine traits in a masculine context. If you watch this snippet from the opera, and picture yourself back in 1875, perhaps you'll glimpse how Carmen would have been a somewhat scandalous figure for the time period. You can also get the Spanish flavor of the music, an exotic setting which was further highlighted in the script by scenes with gypsies and bull fights.




1875 opens with a sweet, almost ambrosial amber. That this is an amber and wood perfume is immediately apparent. The initial sweetness takes it toward gourmand territory, but never totally goes there. A bit of citron and a slight touch of ginger join the amber note, followed by heart notes of bouquet of white flowers and saffron. I do think the floral notes add to the sweetness of the scent, but there is no particular flower that stands out. What does become more apparent is the saffron; a little dusty, a little spicy, and perhaps included as a reference to Spanish cooking. I can also smell the davana, and on my skin it has the fragrance of dried fruit mixed with a herbaceous scent.

Over some hours this will eventually wind down to base notes of sandalwood, incense, patchouli, and gaiac wood. The patchouli gives it a sweet earthy tone, and the incense a hazy smokey note. This perfume comes out at first spray big and bold, like the character Carmen, but it actually settles into a very nice but sedate fragrance featuring amber, wood, and spice.  I found 1875 very wearable but in my opinion it would smell fantastic on a man.

1904 Madame Butterfly Puccini

1904 is the year that Madama Butterfly, an opera by Giacomo Puccini, premiered at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.  Probably one of the world's most recognized operas, most know the story of Madame Butterfly, the beautiful geisha that is ultimately betrayed by her U.S. Navy lover and dies at her own hand. 1904 Madame Butterfly Puccinii is all innocence and young beauty, opening with a delightful powdery iris. In the opening there are notes of mandarin and neroli but they are faint and fleeting. This is all about the iris, and then the heliotrope which makes this even more of a powder scent. There is cedar, sandalwood, and musk in the base, but on my skin this stayed a powdery iris through most of the scent life. The powder note here is more of the lipstick/face powder scent rather than baby powder. I am not a big fan of powdery perfumes, but if you enjoy them or particularly like iris you may enjoy 1904.

1926 Turandot Puccini

1926 Turandot Puccini opens with notes that seem a snapshot of a golden era. Narcissus gives a sharp and pungent opening, but it is quickly cloaked in the golden glow of fleur d'orange which softens it into an opulent bouquet. There are notes of pear and ginger in the opening but they are faint. The fragrance heart contains carnation and maybe it is this note that gives 1926 its retro reference, but it is carnation in the old way, blended with jasmine and earthy patchouli, rather than a single note oeillet, as has been popular in recent releases. It smells rich, opulent, and luscious. Eventually leather, amber, and incense mix with the florals to give a deep allure. The tenacity of this perfume is amazing. The notes change and evolve for several hours and I could still smell it on my wrists a day later.

Turandot is a brutal Princess who challenges suitors with three riddles, and if they can't answer correctly they will pay with their life. While the perfume isn't as bloodthirsty as the Princess, thank goodness, it does show both power and tenacity. Ultimately the floral notes succumb to the base notes of leather and incense, however we can still faintly smell that rich bouquet of flowers, thrown to the diva after her stirring performance.

Here are my quick takes on each of these, in case you don't have the patience to read all this.

1831 - a diva, pyrotechnic in prowess until the smoldering end
1875 - opens with a bang, but then goes all warm and cozy
1890 - an Oriental leather, that moment when the curtain parts and the anticipation builds for the grand event
1904 - a perfume of quiet innocence
1926 - the stage is covered with bouquets that waft a sweet and honeyed fragrance

If these scents interest you, Histoires de Parfums has a great sample pack at a reasonable price. They give you  4 ml of each scent so you can really test it several times. Order here.

Two photos from Histoires de Parfums website. All opera posters are google images. Youtube.com for videos. I bought my own sample pack of perfumes.

Histoires de Parfums Opera Collection - 1890 -Tchaikovsky's La Dame de Pique

Histoires de Parfums was founded by Gerald Ghislain in 2000 and his inaugural offerings were named after the birth year of various historical figures such as Casanova and Mata Hari. The boxes arranged side by side look like a library of scents, and since then he has added other characters to his scented collection such as Ernest Hemingway and explored other scented avenues. Most recently the brand has introduced five perfumes built around famous operas and named the perfumes after the date of their debut. This seems a good fit for Mr. Ghislain as he has a background prior to being a perfumer in producing Flamenco shows, and has other scents that reference the theater such as Moulin Rouge and L'Olympia Music Hall .

I have had a good experience with the perfumes of this house and I was eager to explore the Opera Collection. The first thing that struck me when opening my sample packet from Histoires de Parfums was the beautiful presentation, a rather weighty red box which just begged to be opened and explored. The minute I lifted the flap to reveal the samples, a beautiful and unabashedly strong blend of fragrances wafted up towards my nose, unable to be contained even though the hefty samples vials were tightly sealed.

I decided to first try 1890, which commemorates the debut of the opera La Dame de Pique (The Queen of Spades) by Tchaikovsky in St. Petersburg at the Mariinsky Theatre. The opera premiered December 19, 1890, and was such a resounding success that it remains in the theater's repertoire today. This is called Pitor Tchaikovsky's "dark opera", and this mood is caught by the perfume, 1890.

Tchaikovsky is flanked by the stars of his new opera, Nikolay and Medeya Figner, 1890.

From the first note this smells like French perfume. When I say something smells like French perfume I definitely mean it as a compliment, and to me this means the scent captures an air of sophistication, of honoring the past fragrance trends and not bowing to current passing fads. The collection of notes blend together seemingly effortlessly so that you don't think,  "That's a rose perfume." Rather each part is combined to achieve a greater whole; notes that when combined together soar and sing in a resounding chorus and become something greater than a singular stand-alone aria. The floral notes of orange blossom, rose, and jasmine in 1890 meld in such a way. Watch this scene as the heroine Liza and her friend Paulina share a song from the opera, combining two great voices, one soprano and one contralto, the different voice ranges complimenting each other and ultimately producing a sound more beautiful than a solo performance.





Histoires de Parfums says this about 1890:

1890 is the perfume of the Slavic Soul and the all-consuming passion for the Queen of Spades.With captivating smoldering wisps, Frankincense, Amber, Musk and Patchouli blend together like a seductive charm to which we willingly surrender.

Do you know that feeling when you walk into a theater for a big night out, be it a play, ballet, orchestra performance, or in fact the opera? When you walk into the lobby there is a hum of anticipation and as the performance draws near, a gong or bell draws the crowds through the doors into the interior sanctum of the theater. The best theaters draw a breath of awe from their audience. What might appear gaudy under daylight with bright red cushioned seats and gilded balconies, suddenly becomes a place of magic under glittering chandeliers and the dimmed theater lights. Mistakes and rough edges disappear and only enchantment remains.

When I first apply 1890 I get a rush of that anticipation; as if the scent is announcing a grand event like the first notes of the orchestra as they tune before the performance, and the audience readies.  This is not a perfume to wear in the daytime. It has a certain grandeur, like that moment when the velvet curtain parts to reveal the stage and you fall headfirst into another world. The first breathes of 1890 bring a honeyed orange blossom. Then the rose and orange blossom blend together with rich wine-like notes, their heaviness translating to a syrupy fortified wine or port. The jasmine has a touch of skank that at first made me assume there was civet in the perfume. These notes all wash over very quickly on my skin, even though they are the heart notes. There is a touch of dry leather buried under the cascade of deep ambered florals. These notes carry the chorus for some time, rising and falling in intensity.

Eventually the base notes of patchouli, amber, incense, and musk cast a provocative spell which echoes the passionate and ultimately unfulfilled love which runs through the storyline of Le Dame de Pique. The Histoires de Parfums site identifies 1890 as an oriental leather perfume and has this description: "Leather and Incense invoke an intensity of souls sensually smitten with loves twists and turns." As in most operas there is love, there is tragedy, and don't hold your breath for a happy ending. To summarize, in La Dame de Pique, poor young man with a penchant for gambling falls in love with engaged young woman. Young man and young woman fall in love. He accidentally kills her Grandmother, trying to drag the secret to her gambling success from her. Her ghost tells him the secret. He goes mad with gambling lust. Despondent young woman throws herself from bridge. Haunted young man soon joins her in death. The perfume echoes this solemn mood. The florals are not light and springlike but dark and teetering on the edge of decay. As the perfume wears well into the skin the base notes of patchouli, amber and musk dominate on my skin, with only a tiny whiff of incense. These notes, along with the jasmine and its slightly feral edge, mirror the play's message of the beauty of love and the danger that can destroy it.

I saw a review of 1890 somewhere that said as this was based around Catherine the Great's court and she loved roses, the perfume should have been an homage to roses. I always find it interesting to see how a perfumer will interpret a person, place, or event into scent, and although we might all have our own ideas, I can definitely see how 1890 takes a tragic play and interprets some of that somberness into a serious perfume. I found the perfume beautiful to wear but it does deserve the right occasion. It has a presence and if you don't appreciate that tiny sprinkle of skank in your perfume life you might find 1890 difficult to wear. I discovered for myself that with each successive wear I enjoyed the perfume more and more.

In the end, and this stage lasted several hours, I can still smell the ghost of the honeyed florals. The patchouli, amber, and musk work together quietly now to make a warm slightly spiced melange, with the occasional whiff of incense rising from the quiet remains. The skank note disappeared long ago and the scent feels comforting, but with a formal feel, a tailored cashmere coat rather than a casually drapped shawl.

I am looking forward to exploring the four remaining perfumes from the Opera Collection over the next few days so please follow if you would like to read more.

Top photo from www.YesRussian.com. Second Photo my own. Second is my own image, then Wikipedia image, Youtube.com image, and Google image.

Casanova by Histoires de Parfums

Back in December I went to an excellent exhibit at the local Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth entitled Casanova: The Seduction of Europe. It was a fascinating look at 18th century Europe through the life and travels of Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798). Casanova is immortalized as one of the world's great lovers, but he was so much more than that. He was an adventurer, traveler, and memoirist who left us with a brilliant picture of life in Europe in the 18th century. His circle of influence included many famous people of the era including Rousseau and Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, King George III, King Louis XV, and Catherine the Great. The exhibit used paintings as well as furniture and costume displays to give visitors some idea of this glittering world.

Canaletto's The Grand Canal Near the Rialto Bridge, Venice

The exhibit starts in Venice, Casanova's birth place, and I don't think I've ever seen so many Canaletto paintings in one place. A chance encounter with a Venitian nobleman changed the course of Casanova's life and drags him out of poverty. 

Jean Honore Fragonard's The See-Saw

Another gallery is dedicated to Casanova the seducer and several of Fragonard's exuberant Rococo style paintings are used to illustrate this portion of his life. And yes, this Fragonard's father was a master perfumer and glovemaker, the name still used by the well-known perfume company in Grasse, where Jean Honore Frgonard was born. 

Tiepolo's The Charlaton

At the Kimbell's exhibit there was an area titled The Theater of Identity. Venice was a city of masks. Casanova at various times was a musician, an actor, and sometimes found it useful to travel under assumed names. Paintings and displays of clothing of the era illustrate the world Casanova inhabited and some of the famous people he met in his travels. Casanova was able to straddle the very proper constraints of the society of his day; going from the extremes of being imprisoned (and later escaping) to consorting with the monarchs of France, England, and Russia.

There were displays of luxurious artifacts of the era and paintings of the cities to which he traveled. For me the exhibit illustrated some of the more glamorous aspects of European life in the mid-1700s. It also expanded on the accepted one-dimensional persona we identify as Casanova and showed him to be a historic figure of influence and multi-talents.

This exhibit just finished in San Francisco and will arrive at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on July 8th. If you have any interest in this era or in Casanova as a historical figure the exhibit is well worth your time. If you are nowhere near Boston but still have an interest, have a look at this wonderful synopsis of the Casanova exhibit put on by the Legion of Honor Museum, San Francisco, linked here. It includes some of the art works as well as informative talks by the museum's curators.

After the exhibit I remembered that I had a decant of the perfume Casanova by Histoires de Parfums.  The brand was created by Gerald Ghislain and is described as an olfactive library of perfumes inspired by historical figures. Sometimes the perfumes are identified by the numbers only, in this case 1725 is the year of Casanova's birth. 

1725 Casanova is classified as an aromatic fougere. The three basic building blocks of a fougere fragrance, which translates to fern-like, are lavender, oakmoss, and coumarin. From these three a fragrance can go in various directions, emphasizing the sweetness of the lavender, playing on the darkness of the oakmoss, or emphasizing various aspects of the coumarin, which has the notes of hay, vanilla, and almond. 

1725 Casanova starts with a light and sparkling almost minty lavender. Citrus sunny notes shimmer and have equal footing with the lavender note.  Rather quickly I start to smell the spicy notes of star anise and licorice, although I wouldn't have been able to identify them as such without looking at the list of notes. As these notes come in the lavender fades and the scent becomes bone dry, almost dusty and a trifle smoky, not the smoke of incense but of dust. I am already smelling the cedar. At this point the lavender is very much in the background and hard to pick out. This dryness continues on my skin with a hay note, which strangely enough I think comes from the almond and vanilla. On my skin some of the notes are not what you might expect. Yes, there is lavender but after a moment in the spotlight it goes behind the curtain, whispering lines to the chorus on stage, there but not there. Vanilla is a note that can become overwhelmingly sweet to me, but here it is dry and powdered. I smell vanilla but it is more like sniffing the extract, not the cookies baking in the oven.

Licorice is not a taste I seek out; perhaps because of bad memories of a certain Jagermeister-shot fueled college party which left me with an aversion to the licorice tasting liqueur. Although it is listed on the Histoires de Parfum website as one of the three key ingredients in 1725 Casanova, along with lavender and amber, the licorice note doesn't stand out to me.

Some reviewers spoke of getting a lightly gourmand lavender and vanilla in 1725 Casanova's maturing stages and I was kind of hoping that would be my experience as it's a combination I love. On my skin however the dry cedar was even more dominant than the note of amber and the perfume wasn't even slightly gourmand to me. This fragrance is a bit of a dandy, but in a very elegant way. There are no loud strident notes to offend anyone here, even haters of the scent of lavender. This is unisex but I think I would prefer this on my husband. I like my lavender scents to be a bit more prominent with the herbal notes and the astringency of the lavender, as it's not a note I run away from. I picture this fragrance on a man wearing a well fitting suit, polished shoes, not a hair out of place.

Before I viewed this exhibit and gained a more well-rounded perspective about Casanova's life I might have expected an opulent and more seductive perfume, heavy and lush. This is the opposite; gentrified, polished, and even a little austere. But now understanding the world Casanova moved in and how he was able to rise from the humblest of beginnings in a very class-conscious society to mix seamlessly with the upper echelon, it makes more sense that he was a chameleon, able to mix and fit in the world to which he aspired. Yes, he was a master of the liaison amoureuse, so much so that the name Casanova is described in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as lover. But his interests and influences extended far beyond the walls of the boudoir and he is revealed as one of the more interesting characters of 18th century Europe. 

Photos from www.kimbellart.org. Perfume my own.