Viestur Kairish

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 Latvia and abroad. Several of his productions toured international festivals and venues, including the Wiener Festwochen (Hotel Europe), the Hebbel am Ufer (The Serpent), the Festival d’Avignon (Hotel Europe), and the Bonner Biennale (The Dark Deer, Hotel Europe).

Moment from Wagner's opera "Götterdämmerung" by Viestur Kairsh at the Latvian National Opera.

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's Die Zauberflöte at the Latvian National Opera in 2001 which later on was transformed into the short-movie artwork for the 42nd Venice Biennale.

He joined Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen project at the Latvian National Opera with Die Walküre in 2007. He set the last three operas from the cycle which received positive reviews in respectable music and opera journals.[1]

The successful work on Wagner's operas opened for Kairish an international career in opera staging. He has been invited to Komische Oper Berlin, Oper Köln and Staatstheater Darmstadt. His debut in Germany, the production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Kristiina Poska conducting, was acknowledged by The Financial Times as a "worthy contribution to a fledgling Britten tradition for Germany"[2] and received many other positive reviews.[3][4][5] Work on Weber's Der Freischütz with Markus Stenz conducting at Oper Köln was acclaimed success as well both from the critics and public,[6][7] same as the production of Verdi's Macbeth with Will Humburg conducting at Staatstheater Darmstadt.[8][9]

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.[10]

Kairish has directed overall four documentaries 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 for the best feature of 2001. It was included in the official competition program at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and received an award for the best debut at the Raindance Film Festival in the United Kingdom. His fourth documentary Pelican in the Desert was on the competition at the Visions du Reel in Nyon, France, as well as received special jury prize at the Let's Cee Film Festival in Austria.[11] Kairish worked on the Latvian-Finnish co-production Chronicles of Melanie, a historical drama, released in 2015.[12] He also directed the film Janvāris, which received the Lielais Kristaps award for best feature film in 2023.[13]

• The Latvian Great Music Award for the Best Opera Production for Eugene Onegin, 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 Der Ring des Nibelungen (together with Stefan Herheim), 2014
• Special Jury Prize at the Let's Cee Film Festival for Pelican in the Desert, 2014

• Kairish official homepage
• Chronicles of Melanie official movie page