On Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera will revive its double bill of “Iolanta” and “Bluebeard’s Castle.” The former work will receive its eighth performance at the Met on Thursday in just its first revival with the company. However, the history of “Bluebeard’s Castle” and its 31 performances with the company is intriguing.

The work itself is rather brief in comparison with most operas and has been paired with other short operas in a double bill. “Iolanta” is one of three such pairings with the other two unique in their own ways.

Bartók’s opera was first paired with “Gianni Schicchi,” an interesting pairing considering the former’s dark nature and the Puccini opera’s comic tone throughout. Moreover, “Bluebeard’s Castle” is a two-person show while Puccini’s comedy is a massive ensemble work. This contrasted pairing actually held up for quite a while, being the opera of choice to go along with “Bluebeard’s Castle” during its first 12 performances at the Met between 1974 and 1975.

Schoenberg’s “Erwartung” would then be the pairing of choice for the ensuing 10 performances of “Bluebeard’s” Met life in 1989; the two 20^th century composers, despite their own differing styles seemed a more likely fit. Moreover, both pieces offered an opportunity for soprano Jessye Norman who performed in both works. She was Judith in “Bluebeard” before appearing solo as The Women in the latter showcase.

The Met would perform the work in two concert performances in 2000 and it would take until 2015 for the opera to make a return to the Met stage in a new production – the current pairing with “Iolanta.” Through seven performances with Tchaikovsky’s final opera (also an ensemble work), the new production by Mariusz Trelinski linked the two stories together through their themes of men placing women in captivity, suggesting even that Iolanta’s father himself was Bluebeard on some level.