Konserthuset Stockholm is more than a building. It is a place where music, people and memories meet. At the heart of the house lies the Main Hall – what the architect Ivar Tengbom himself called The Red Heart. In his vision, Tengbom sought to raise a classical temple in honour of music. Here, the language of antiquity and the history of music converge in a house that contains not only concerts, but also stories, expectations and dreams. Yet Konserthuset is above all its people.
The musicians of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the conductors, the technicians, the guides, the cleaners – all those who make the building sing each day. Their presence gives the house its soul. For six years, the photographer Yanan Li has followed this life at close quarters. With his camera he has moved through halls and behind the scenes, capturing hands over strings, glances in anticipation, the light falling across an empty stage.
Through thousands of images he approaches the innermost essence of the house and of the music itself. This book is the first major volume devoted to both the building and the orchestra. It traces the Concert Hall from its inception in the vibrant cultural climate of the 1920s – with figures such as Carl Milles, Isaac Grünewald and Einar Forseth – to todays living musical life. The Red Heart still beats, and within its rhythm resides a century of music, work and devotion.