Quick answers
History
Symphonie-Passion may be the most autobiographical fragrance in the UNUM collection, for it springs from a gesture Filippo Sorcinelli knows by heart: setting an organ in motion. In Rouen, he starts up the instrument on which Marcel Dupré played several times, one of the greatest organists and composers of the early twentieth century, born in that city. It is the smell of that moment the fragrance tries to hold.
The title itself is a musical tribute. Symphonie-Passion is the name of a major Dupré work for organ, first improvised and then set down in the 1920s. The fragrance does not quote the score; it restores its atmosphere: the coolness of an organ loft, the air moving through the pipes, the cold vibration of woods under the fingers.
The olfactory writing follows that thread. The house describes an opening of lemon that gives way to a cold vetiver, surrounded by enveloping woods. The subject lines up sandalwood, musk and cedar; the counter-subject adds cashmeran and vetiver, which bring the coolness and the relief; the tail, made of lemon and peony, brings the light and an unexpected floral touch.
Symphonie-Passion belongs to the UNUM collection, as an extrait de parfum, unisex. The house files it among its woods; it is, in fact, the most limpid and airy of the UNUM we present here, the opposite of LAVS's resinous warmth.
Olfactory pyramid
True to the organist-perfumer's manner, Symphonie-Passion is stated as a score, subject, counter-subject and tail, exactly as the house publishes it.
The axis is woody coolness: a cold, vibrant vetiver framed by sandalwood and cedar, lit by a lemon and softened by a peony.
Olfactory profile
Symphonie-Passion opens brighter than the other UNUM. The tail's lemon is felt very early, like a shaft of light, before giving way to the woody heart. It is a fresh, almost mineral entry that evokes the air of an organ loft more than the smoke of a censer.
The heart is a cold woody. Vetiver sets the tone, earthy and vibrant; cashmeran wraps it in a woody musk, sandalwood and cedar lend it cream and dryness. It is a broad yet held material, without sweetness, in which you sense the vibration of the instrument.
The peony, in the tail, is the unexpected touch: a clear floral that softens the dryness of the woods without ever erasing it. Longevity is that of an extrait, but the fragrance stays lighter and more luminous than the collection average, which makes it a woody for day as much as for evening.
Key characteristics
When and where to wear
Symphonie-Passion is the most versatile of the UNUM presented here: a fresh woody that suits day and evening alike, and every temperate season. Its vetiver coolness keeps it pleasant even in mild weather, while its woods give it staying power when it turns cold.
Usage markers
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Critical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★★ | Lemon and peony come alive. |
| Summer | ★★★☆ | The cold vetiver refreshes. |
| Autumn | ★★★★ | The woods take over. |
| Winter | ★★★☆ | Cooler than warm, but tenacious. |
Context fit
| Setting | Fit | Usage recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday | ★★★★ | Its home ground. |
| Office | ★★★★ | Sober and fresh, never intrusive. |
| Concert | ★★★★ | An imagination of organ and loft. |
| Evening | ★★★☆ | A dressed but light woody. |
| Outdoors | ★★★★ | Its woody coolness breathes there. |
Similar perfumes
Cold, woody vetiver has its neighbors; a few share its mineral coolness or its dryness.
| Perfume | House · year | Why it is close |
|---|---|---|
| Sycomore | Chanel · 2008 | A dry, smoky vetiver; the same woody coolness, more chypre. |
| Opus 1144 | Filippo Sorcinelli · 2015 | The same house, the same edifice imagination; Opus 1144 is more leathery and grave, Symphonie-Passion brighter. |
| Vetiver | Guerlain · 1961 | The reference for fresh, clean vetiver; to set against Symphonie-Passion's cold vetiver. |
Common questions
See also
Sources
- Official Filippo Sorcinelli document, Symphonie-Passion sheet (Italian and English editions)
- Filippo Sorcinelli Fragrances 2026 press kit (UNUM collection, Rouen organ and Marcel Dupré)
- Filippo Sorcinelli, official Symphonie-Passion page
- Fragrantica, Symphonie-Passion entry (2016)
- Parfumo, Filippo Sorcinelli house