Sørbø/Fonn: Heroin chic

Composer: Solveig Sørbø ⊱·☀︎·⊰ Librettist: Maria Kjos Fonn

Soloists: Susanna Wolff, Sofia Neacsu, Siv Misund, Ivar Magnus Sandve, Johannes Nikolai Aas

Orchestra: Ensemble Oslo, Hans Petter Mæhle (cond.)

Durata/formats: 90min - Digital (lossless) / 2XCD / 2XVinyl

Audio engineer/producer: Trond Kjelsås (LydFest)

Heroin Chic received a standing ovation from its audience of 500 when it had its concert premiere in Romania in February 2025. Following the performance, critics praised the work, describing it as “an eclectic soundscape” and highlighting its “strong emotional impact,” “philosophical depth,” “striking richness of sound,” and “intelligent orchestration.” The Romanian cultural magazine Revista Migalo wrote that the production “struck the collective psyche,” while the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen described it as a “danse macabre.”

The opera is composed by Solveig Sørbø and based on the novel by Maria Kjos Fonn. The book was acclaimed as “a dark masterpiece,” and its bleak atmosphere and religious undertones have been carried forward and further developed both musically and dramatically in the opera, exploring themes of death drive, addiction, and self-staging.

As one of the most recent contributions to Norwegian music theatre, with roots in both the avant-garde and popular culture, Heroin Chic is a memorable and emotionally charged addition to the operatic repertoire. It features a powerful and hypnotic percussion section, one of the largest soprano roles for a child singer in opera literature, a reinvention of the cimbalom’s place in classical music, and captivating melodies within an eclectic soundscape. The music is maximalist, colorful, and highly engaging both to perform and to experience as a listener.

Following its successful world premiere in Romania, the opera received its Norwegian concert premiere as part of the Klassisk på Park concert series in February 2026. Featuring some of Norway’s leading classical performers, a live visual backdrop by Franciska Eliassen, and a handful of staged moments— followed by an afterparty with DJ Roland Lifjell—Heroin Chic was enthusiastically embraced by a sold-out Parkteatret. Sørbø was subsequently dubbed “the Klæbo of music” by Ballade.

Two days later, the entire work was recorded live to tape in Jar church outside Oslo. Capturing 90 minutes of opera in just one day is an impressive feat by the team of performers and the engineer, and we are all very excited to present the result of this team-work to the world.