GENRE; Classical/ Contemporary/ Cinematic/ Soundtrack

RELEASE DATE; 16 October, 2026

RATING; 4.3/5

Solveig Sørbø’s Heroin Chic is an ambitious work exploring addiction, identity, sexuality and the thin line between life and death. At 90 minutes it’s a very substantial piece of work and achieves a very distinctive listening experience through the fusion of contemporary classical music, avant garde and elements of pop culture. It doesn’t so much conform to the conventions of opera as it does to the nature of the subject matter itself, which is one of emotional intensity. There’s a palpable sense of psychological unease running through the piece which is very much in keeping with the questions it raises about self destruction, innocence and the desire to go beyond the human condition.

It’s a two act opera which follows Elise, a young woman whose fixation on death and transcendence leads her inexorably into a world of destruction. Her fraught relationship with her mother, her burgeoning sexuality and her drug use all form part of a journey of identity fragmentation and emotional turmoil. Her relationship with rocker Joakim and the disturbing figure of D (who is D’s own manifestation of her destructive subconscious) add further layers of tension to her predicament. As addiction, exploitation and rehab become part of the story the line between reality and fantasy, life and death becomes increasingly blurred. There is no clear resolution to the story at the end, it simply leaves you in the end with the question of whether Elise has actually died, whether she has been resurrected or whether it’s all just a drug induced fantasy.

An unusually orchestral soundscape is at the heart of Heroin Chic. There’s a huge amount of powerful, hypnotic percussion and a great deal of melodic interest within the piece. The score also contains a very unusual and effective reworking of the cimbalom in a modern classical idiom which is a big part of the reason it’s such a different opera. It’s a very colourful, very maximalist piece which is utterly unapologetically emotional, and it manages to be both very theatrical and very much in the realm of the experimental.

Performed by Ensemble Oslo with conductor Hans Petter Mæhle and soloists Susanna Wolff, Sofia Neacsu, Siv Misund, Ivar Magnus Sandve and Johannes Nikolai Aas, the recording is a real testament to the scale of the production. Heroin Chic is a very compelling contemporary opera, a work of psychological complexity and daring in its musicality. It’s an opera which leaves you with a lot to think about in terms of its ending and its subject matter. A very worthwhile release for those who like their opera to be a bit experimental and contemporary.

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