On August 15, 2026, Cēsis Concert Hall will host the premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s operetta Candide in a semi-staged concert production directed by actor and director Mārtiņš Meiers. Teaming up with the Dailes Theatre and featuring Lielā Mūzikas balva laureate Eduards Rediko in the title role, the production explores Voltaire’s 18th-century philosophical satire on optimism, human folly, and resilience amidst a volatile world.
The Bottom Line
- The Premiere Date: Candide debuts on August 15, 2026, at Cēsis Concert Hall, presented in collaboration with the Dailes Theatre.
- The Creative Force: Mārtiņš Meiers, fresh off a Spēlmaņu nakts Best Actor nomination for playing Alan Turing in The Oracle, directs a cast that includes Eduards Rediko, Artis Robežnieks, Agate Grīnhofa, and others.
- The Thematic Core: Inspired by Voltaire’s rapid-fire satire and Bernstein’s complex score with lyrics by Inese Zandere, the production interrogates the thin line between naive optimism and realism in an increasingly radicalized modern era.
Decoding the “Incoded Optimism” on the Cēsis Stage
When an artist fresh off anchoring two massive, physically demanding main-stage productions—namely The Source and The Oracle at the Dailes Theatre—decides to tackle Leonard Bernstein, the industry pays attention. Here is the kicker: Bernstein’s Candide, born out of Voltaire’s brisk, biting 1759 satire, has always been a notoriously slippery beast for directors. Written in what legend says took only three or four days, the original text was swiftly banned for its unfiltered skewering of organized religion and socio-political power structures.
“Divtūkstošo gadu sākums Latvijā bija optimistisks,” Meiers reflects on the early 2000s wave of small businesses and cafe culture that defined his generation’s formative years. But as global shocks piled up—from September 11 and the 2008 financial crisis to the pandemic and ongoing war—that foundational hope has been tested. “Manī ir iekodēts optimisms, uz kuram man vajadzētu skatīties kritiski, bet es zinu, ka tas manī ir,” he notes, acknowledging an inherent, perhaps naive, belief that things will fundamentally improve despite a world growing increasingly radical.
Musical Duality and the Semi-Staged Format
But Meiers rejects the notion that the genre merely offers a safe harbor from reality. Instead, he views the stage as a chemical laboratory where paradoxical truths can collide without physical danger.
The choice of a semi-staged concert format is a deliberate tactical move, driven as much by artistic vision as by practical economics. “Šis semi-staged formāts sniedz lielāku rocību uzaicināt vairāk mākslinieku: gan instrumentālistu, gan arī koristu, ko tradicionālajā repertuārā nevar atļauties,” Meiers explains, pointing out how the format frees up resources to harness the full auditory magnitude of Bernstein’s score. The music adds a vital, irrational dimension to Voltaire’s clean-cut prose, elevated further by Inese Zandere’s poetic lyricism.
| Production Detail | Information / Personnel | Context & Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Title Work | Candide (Leonard Bernstein) | Concert production based on Voltaire’s satire |
| Premiere Date | August 15, 2026 (7:00 PM) & August 16 (6:00 PM) | Cēsis Concert Hall (Koncertzāle Cēsis) |
| Key Cast & Crew | Mārtiņš Meiers (Director), Eduards Rediko (Candide), Artis Robežnieks, Agate Grīnhofa, Ralfs Puzāns, Gerda Igaune, Una Stade | In collaboration with the Dailes Theatre |
| Recent Accolades | Mārtiņš Meiers (Spēlmaņu nakts nomination, Gada aktieris for The Oracle) | Reflects a banner theatrical season at the Dailes Theatre |
Subverting the Archetypes of Virtue
Casting choices in this production play heavily against audience expectations. Eduards Rediko, who recently portrayed darker elements in Puss in Boots (Runcis zābakos), steps into the bright, guileless title role of Candide. Meiers points out the inherent danger in theatrical archetypes: “Mūsu kultūrā ir daudz šādu gaišo tēlu… bet labie tēli ir visbīstamākie.” Just as organized religion or political ideologies present a frictionless, attractive facade to hook the masses, characters who embody pure goodness can easily pivot or mask underlying complexities.
Drawing a parallel to Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco, he argues that real life lacks the tidy plotting imposed upon it by classical art. “Es nezinu, kurš ir iestāstījis, ka mūsu dzīvei ir sižets. Tai nav sižeta!” he observes. By stripping away artificial plot expectations, the production forces audiences to navigate the chaotic kaleidoscope of human experience without relying on simplistic moral slogans.
The Accumulation of Roles and the Demands of the Dailes Theatre Stage
As Meiers wraps up an intense season featuring massive undertakings like The Source (Pirmavots) and Lukasz Twarkowski’s critically acclaimed The Oracle (Orākuls)—which earned him a Spēlmaņu nakts nomination for Best Actor—he reflects on the physical and psychological toll of high-level performance. Unlike a violinist who can simply pack away an instrument, an actor’s own body and psyche remain the medium.
“Lomas uzkrājas manī,” Meiers says, describing how months of total immersion into Alan Turing’s world of wartime code-breaking fundamentally altered his mental landscape. Yet, rather than seeking artistic immortality or building monuments to oneself, he embraces the ephemeral nature of live theatre. Whether it is the final performance of The Master and Margarita or the fleeting two-night run of Candide, the true value lies in the rigorous demands an artist places on themselves in the present moment.
Tickets for the Cēsis performances range from €20 to €60 and are available through the Biļešu paradīze network. As the summer season winds down and theatre companies prepare to unleash their heavy machinery for the autumn, Meiers’ Candide stands out as a sharp, musical reminder to look past the attractive facades of the world—and perhaps, to keep tending our own gardens.
What are your thoughts on modern adaptations of classic operettas, and how do you think contemporary directors should balance historical satire with today’s social realities? Drop a comment below and join the cultural debate.
