MASQUE MILANO White Whale EDP 35 ml After 10 years of work, the Opera collection is now complete: 16 fragrances, divided into 4 groups of 4 fragrances each. Each group represents an "ACT" in the MASQUE opera: ACT I – EXPERIENCES ACT II – INNER MONOLOGUES ACT III – ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS ACT IV – DREAMS MASQUE MILANO lovers know that the OPERA collection has paid multiple tributes to literature, particularly Anglo-Saxon (Romanza – Victorian Narcissus, dedicated to the celebration of dandyism and narcissism by Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Love Kills, inspired by the quintessential love tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, and Lost Alice, a tribute to the fantastic adventures of Lewis Carroll's Alice). "Completing this Opera Collection has been a dream and a goal we have pursued for the past 10 years. For this reason, our latest fragrance was inspired by the most obsessive quest in literature: Captain Ahab's pursuit of the mythical white sperm whale, Moby Dick." Alessandro and Riccardo "All the elements of Herman Melville's novel were so useful in trying to imagine ourselves on a whaling ship in the vast ocean. Yet I wanted to know more; I couldn't wait to gather more elements before embarking on the journey of fragrance creation. So I convinced my wife to take a typically American vacation to Martha's Vineyard. We went whale watching in Cape Cod and visited the Whaling Museum in Nantucket. We climbed countless roads to reach just as many numerous lighthouses, which guided the sailing ships and kept them safe from the dangerous shallows and rocks around the islands, still in operation today. Exploring what was the epicenter of the whaling industry was extremely useful, not only for better inspiration, breathing the same ocean air that Captain Ahab inhaled. It was essential to understand the essence of the centuries-old struggle between man and the Leviathan, to shed light on the reasons why humanity undertook such bloodshed—quite inexplicable and anachronistic for a man of the 21st century." Alessandro All the elements of Herman Melville's novel were so useful in trying to imagine ourselves on a whaling ship in the vast ocean. Nose: Cristiano Alori The very day Riccardo and Alessandro contacted me, explaining that they wanted to complete their OPERA collection with a fragrance inspired by the pursuit of the mythical white whale, and that they chose me as the interpreter of this scene, I immediately felt I was the right perfumer for this composition! We agreed on an Ambergris core and, right after, the elements naturally unfolded in sequence in my mind. The raw wood of the Pequod Ship, the vast dark ocean, heavy salty ropes, a soft candlelight to counter such hardships, the pages of an old book... You know how some songs can take years and countless changes before reaching their peak, while others can take just a few minutes and practically come together effortlessly? Well, this was more like the second scenario (if only they were all like that!) The result is quite literal, sharp, and straight to the point. I loved seeing Alessandro and Riccardo's passion for how this story would translate into a fragrance during our calls. Being part of their fragrant opera with all its different scenes was an absolute thrill for me. I can't wait to see what will happen. Cristiano Alori ACT IV – Scene IV WHITE WHALE “Call me Ishmael. Some years ago [...] I thought I would sail a little and see the watery part of the world.” H. Melville Performed by Christian Alori Candles, ropes, and the vast ocean (Top notes) Olibanum LMR (East Africa), Salted rope accords, Black pepper from Madagascar LMR "There she Blows" (Heart notes) Ambergris accord, Osmanthus China LMR, Violet, Iris concrete Italy LMR The Pequod ship (Base notes) Virginia Cedarwood, Patchouli Indonesia MD LMR, Vetiver Haiti MD LMR, Labdanum Cistus The creation of the perfume: an intense and inspired journey The creation of the fragrance was in itself a journey. EDP 35 ml