Viestur Kairish (; born 30 January 1971) is a

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

n opera, movie and theatre director. He has made a successful career in

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

as an acclaimed director of operas. The movies and plays of Kairish have toured in many European festivals.

Stage productions

After graduating the Latvian Academy of Culture as a theatre and film director in 1997, Kairish was appointed at the New Riga Theatre as a resident stage director. Since then he has set critically acclaimed plays both in

and abroad. Several of his productions toured international festivals and venues, including the

Wiener Festwochen The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a culture festival that takes place in Vienna for five or six weeks in May and June every year. The Vienna Festival was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the Participants in World W ...

(''Hotel Europe''), the Hebbel am Ufer ('' The Serpent''), the Festival d’Avignon (''Hotel Europe''), and the Bonner Biennale (''The Dark Deer'', ''Hotel Europe''). He debuted in opera directing with Peter Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'' at the Latvian National Opera, receiving the Latvian Great Music Award for the Best Opera Production in 1999. Soon after, he staged

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' at the Latvian National Opera in 2001 which later on was transformed into the short-movie artwork for the 42nd

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. He joined

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compo ...

project at the Latvian National Opera with ''

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86B, is the second of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was ...

'' in 2007. He set the last three operas from the cycle which received positive reviews in respectable music and opera journals. The successful work on

's operas opened for Kairish an international career in opera staging. He has been invited to

Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces operas, operettas and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, near Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, along with the Be ...

Oper Köln The Cologne Opera (German: Oper der Stadt Köln or Oper Köln) refers to both the main opera house in Cologne, Germany and its resident opera company. History of the company From the mid 18th century, opera was performed in the city's court thea ...

and

Staatstheater Darmstadt The Staatstheater Darmstadt (Darmstadt State Theatre) is a theatre company and building in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, presenting opera, ballet, plays and concerts. It is funded by the German states, state of Hesse and the city of Darmstadt. Its hi ...

. His debut in

, the production of Britten's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' with

Kristiina Poska Kristiina Poska (born 12 July 1978, Türi, Estonia) is an Estonian conductor. Biography At age eight, Poska began piano lessons. She graduated from Türi Music School in piano studies in 1994, and then studied choral conducting at the Georg Ots ...

conducting, was acknowledged by ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' as a "worthy contribution to a fledgling Britten tradition for Germany" and received many other positive reviews. Work on Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

'' with Markus Stenz conducting at

was acclaimed success as well both from the critics and public, same as the production of Verdi's ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' with Will Humburg conducting at

. Currently, Kairish is working on Arturs Maskats' new opera '' Valentina'' together with Modestas Pitrenas as a conductor at the Latvian National Opera with scheduled shows at

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...

Work on documentaries and movies

Kairish has directed overall four

documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...

and six feature movies. He made his debut in 1998 with the documentary '' The Train''. His first feature-length movie '' Leaving by the Way'' won

National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

for the best feature of 2001. It was included in the official competition program at the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...

, and received an award for the best debut at the

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove ...

the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. His fourth

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

'' Pelican in the Desert'' was on the competition at the Visions du Reel in

Nyon Nyon (; historically German language, German: or and Italian language, Italian: , ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Nyon District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometer ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, as well as received special jury prize at the Let's Cee Film Festival in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Kairish worked on the

n- Finnish co-production '' Chronicles of Melanie'', a historical drama, released in 2015. He also directed the film ''Janvāris'', which received the

Lielais Kristaps ''Lielais Kristaps'' is the highest award given in Latvian cinema. Established in 1977, it is given out at the ''Latvian National Film Festival''. Due to different reasons, the festival has not been held in 1992, 1994 to 1995, 1997 and 1999 ...

award for best feature film in 2023.

List of works

Operas

* 2014 '' Valentina'' by Arturs Maskats ( Latvian National Opera) * 2014 ''

'' by Giuseppe Verdi (

) * 2014 ''

'' by

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

(

) * 2013 ''

'' by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

(

) * 2011 ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...

'' by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

( Latvian National Opera) * 2010 '' Il Trittico'' by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

( Latvian National Opera) * 2008 ''

Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...

'' by

( Latvian National Opera) * 2007 ''

'' by

( Latvian National Opera) * 2001 ''

'' by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

( Latvian National Opera) * 1999 ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...

'' by

Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

( Latvian National Opera)

Stage Plays

* 2010 '' Kasimir and Karoline'' by

Ödön von Horváth Edmund Josef von Horváth (9 December 1901 – 1 June 1938) was an Austro-Hungarian playwright and novelist who wrote in German, and went by the ''nom de plume'' Ödön von Horváth (). He was one of the most critically admired writers of his g ...

( Latvian National Theatre) * 2009 '' Pinocchio’s Ashes'' by Jokum Rohde ( Latvian National Theatre) * 2008 ''

Heldenplatz Heldenplatz () is a public space in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt borough, the President of Austria resides in the adjoining Hofburg wing, while the Federal Chancellery is on adjacent Ballhausplatz ...

'' by Thomas Bernhard ( Dailes Theatre) * 2003 '' Die Dreigroschenoper'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

( Latvian National Theatre) * 2003 ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–1869. The titl ...

'' by

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influenti ...

( New Riga Theatre) * 2003 '' The Serpent'' by

Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian History of religion, historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. One of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and in ...

( New Riga Theatre) * 2001 ''The Dark Deer'' by Inga Abele ( New Riga Theatre) * 2001 ''Margareta'' by Māra Zālīte ( New Riga Theatre) * 2000 ''Hotel Europa'' by Goran Stefanovsky (

)

Filmography

* 2020 '' The Sign Painter'' (feature) * 2015 '' Chronicles of Melanie'' (feature) * 2014 '' Pelican in the Desert'' (documentary) * 2009 ''Loengrins From Varka Kru'' (documentary) * 2006 ''The Dark Deer'' (feature) * 2004 ''Romeo And Juliet'' (documentary) * 2004 ''The Monument'' (documentary) * 2002 '' Leaving by the Way'' (feature) * 2001 ''The Magic Flute'' (feature) * 2000 ''The Wedding'' (feature) * 1998 ''The Train'' (documentary)

Awards

* The Latvian Great Music Award for the Best Opera Production for ''

'', 1999 * National Film Award for the Best Film of the Year for ''The Wedding'', 2000 * The National Theatre Award for the Best Original Play for ''Margareta'', 2001 * ''Spīdola'' Award for Unique Achievements in the Arts, 2001 * National Film Award for the best feature of the Year for '' Leaving by the Way'', 2001 * The Best Debut at the Raindance Film Festival for '' Leaving by the Way'', 2002 * FIPRESCI Award, Baltic section, best Baltic film for '' Leaving by the Way'', 2002 * The Latvian Great Music Award for the Best European music project for ''

'' (together with Stefan Herheim), 2014 * Special Jury Prize at the Let's Cee Film Festival for ''Pelican in the Desert'', 2014

References

External links

Kairish official homepageChronicles of Melanie official movie page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kairish, Viestur 1971 births Latvian theatre directors Latvian opera directors Latvian film directors Living people Film people from Riga Lielais Kristaps Award winners Theatre people from Riga