Gotterdammerung

The great hero Siegfried, having successfully defeated Wotan in combat and beaten back the flames to win Brunnhilde's love, now goes in search of new adventures. He meets the Gibichungs, King Gunther and his sister Gutrune, in their castle and agrees to win a wife for Gunther. But what Siegfried does not know is that Gutrune has slipped him a potion that fogs his mind, making him forget Brunnhilde -- the woman Gunther wishes to marry. Siegfried is unstoppable. He wins Brunnhilde while magically disguised, and then rebukes her when she figures out what has happened. Poor Siegfried ends up spurning the woman he loves, being betrayed by his new friends and paying the ultimate price for the pride and vanity of the gods. But when a hero this great is destroyed, he brings the entire world down in flames with him. Richard Wagner's apocalyptic Gotterdammerung rings out across the world once more this weekend courtesy of Union Avenue Opera. This is a reduced version adapted by Jonathan Dove and Graham Vick, but it's still performed in German with English subtitles. Gotterdammerung is presented at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday (August 21 through 29) at Union Avenue Christian Church (733 North Union Boulevard; 314-361-2881 or www.unionavenueopera.org). Tickets are $32 to $52.