2021.12.03
Perfumes Inspired by Masterpieces of Classical Music
Everyone has their own way of enjoying art, but at AOI Music Store in Hamamatsu, classical masterpieces are enjoyed through scents from a line of perfumes.
AOI Music Store has been selling musical instruments and running music classes in Hamamatsu City since 1974. Last spring when the state of emergency was declared due to the spread of COVID-19, it hit his business hard. He had enjoyed business with a lot of customers and students. The store which had been filled with the sounds of musical instruments and cheerful voices of young students became very quiet as fewer customers came in due to the state of emergency. He had to lay off the staff and work alone to manage the store. He was talking with colleagues over the phone and they were encouraging each other that things will get better when he came up with an idea: perfumes inspired by classical masterpieces.
Mr. KAWAKAMI said he came up with this idea because of the way that both music and scents change over time, and that you can enjoy their harmony. He decided to develop three perfumes corresponding to following pieces of classical music based on advice from people in the music field.
“Air on the G string” by Johann Sebastian Bach
“For Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven
“Fantaisie-Impromptu” by Frédéric François Chopin
The perfumes were developed through many discussions and meetings with a fragrance development company and were all tested and completed by the company president themselves. It’s a pity that we can’t offer you the scents directly. Nonetheless, let us try to describe the perfume of “Air on the G string.” It has the fresh and natural scent of lotus flower, bergamot and lemon, followed by the smell of a clean bouquet of may bells, lilies and jasmine spreading in the middle, topping off with lingering notes of musk and transparent woods at the end.
These perfumes are not being sold in cosmetic shops but at music shops around the country. Some shops display them next to their corresponding music scores. Mr. KAWAKAMI hopes customers may become more interested in the music as well as the perfumes this way.
Some of the customers have asked for perfumes to scores by specific composers. They were looking for perfumes to their favorite pieces. Mr. KAWAKAMI has found it an opportunity for more business. There are many masterpieces in classical music. Why not develop lineups of perfume for them too? He hopes that everybody can enjoy the world of classical music through scents as well while listening to the music at home.
Website: https://www.aoigakki.jp/
