Ulrich Lang Nightscape
Fragrance Review By Mark David BoberickThe year 2009 saw many new releases, but as I look back through the bottles that I acquired last year, there is
only one that has a noticeable amount missing from it. The exquisite Nightscape, created in collaboration with Frank
Voelkl of Firmenich, marks the third fragrance by former L’Oreal executive Ulrich Lang and is a beautiful departure
from his Anvers series. Like Anvers 1 and 2, Ulrich Lang continues the marriage of photography and fragrance by having
the scent visually interpreted by an artist. For Nightscape, Lang partnered with American photographer Matt Licari
who wandered about New York looking to capture the perfect image. The chosen photograph is of a less Metropolitan
side of New York – with landmarks so far away that they blend in with the 6-story apartment buildings in the foreground.
But the city only plays a third of the role in the photograph – the night sky which grades in shades of grey
eventually captures your eye and manages to keep it there.
Nightscape is a sheer and cosmopolitan Patchouli fragrance from start to finish, and one of the best I have ever
come across. The Patchouli offered in Nightscape is one of the more beautiful ones that we find in perfumery –
it is not incredibly herbal and definitely not medicinal. It is clean, but not fresh and points to the future rather than
embracing its “flower power” history. This is modern and elegant Patchouli at its finest. In the opening, there is
a strong bergamot note that suggests an Earl Grey direction, but that mellows and the patchouli takes the focus.
Supporting it is a slightly creamy base of leather and tonka bean that stay right through to the end. Is it a bit
more complex than that? Of course it is but the success of this fragrance is not in examining the minute particulars;
but rather its confident overall character.
The projection of this fragrance is moderate, it doesn’t have immense sillage. Like the austere picture of New York
at night, devoid of soaring skyscrapers, Nightscape keeps its presence reserved until the moment
when you pull someone close.
In my 2008 review of Lang’s previous release, Anvers 2, I praised his concept of merging perfume
and photography: “ There are many perfumes out there that have design concepts that are much larger
than the perfumes themselves. This is not one of them. Ulrich Lang’s forward thinking idea of photography as
inspiration is a most welcome addition to the world of perfume marketing. The moral of the story is not forced
upon the wearer, for it is up to the wearer to draw his own conclusions.” 2 years later, I am still entirely
smitten with Lang’s furthering of the “Fragrance as Art” concept and I look forward to the next installment.
Ulrich Lang tops himself every time he releases another fragrance, something so rarely achieved now in the
world of perfume. The exceptional Nightscape is poised to achieve status as a Modern Classic.
Nightscape is available at Takashimaya and Aedes de Venustas in New York City, and nationwide
at Barneys New York. 3.4oz Eau de Toilette $110.00
Mark David Boberick is an Interior Designer who has been in love with scent for as long as he can remember and has been collecting fragrances since the age of 12. A lover of art and music, Mark David frequents museums, theatre, and the opera. He is also an accomplished theatrical set designer having already amassed a large portfolio of work for only being 25 years old. He is an avid supporter and volunteer for Greyhound Rescues and is happiest when he’s designing or sniffing.
