A ROMANTIC treat is in store for Valentine’s Day with a screening of two rarely-performed one-act operas in local cinemas.

The Met: Live in HD double bill of Iolanta and Bluebeard’s Castle is showing at Dorchester Plaza, Bridport Arts Centre and Bridport Electric Palace on Saturday February 14 from 5.30pm.

The first treat in store is Tchaikovsky’s romantic fairy tale Iolanta followed by Bartók’s psychological thriller Bluebeard’s Castle.

The double bill is conducted by Valery Gergiev and marks the Met debut of Mariusz Trelinski, Artistic Director of Warsaw’s Polish National Opera whose production is inspired by the classic noir films of the 1940s.

Iolanta, which is being performed at the Met for the first time, tells the story of the psychological awakening of Anna Netrebko’s blind princess when she falls in love with Piotr Beczala’s Count Tristan Vaudémont.

In Bluebeard’s Castle, newly-wed Judith must open seven locked doors to discover the full depths of her husband’s dark secrets.

The approximate running time is 339 minutes including one interval. See Metopera.org/uk for information.