Abstract
This article examines E. M. Forster's ‘Revolution at Bayreuth’ (1954). It proposes that this deceptively apolitical broadcast talk reflected and commented on the aesthetics and politics of staging Wagner's work specifically, and on democracy, culture and postwar Anglo-German relations more broadly. The article highlights the talk's original transmission on the radio, exploring the implications and significance of Forster sharing his experience at the New Bayreuth through this particular medium. It considers Forster's critiques of the Wagner grandsons' stage innovations, teasing out the nuances of Forster's doubt about experimentalism and preoccupation with ‘tradition’. Arguing that the broadcast talk is more than just a personal account, the article looks into the details of Forster's belated trip to Bayreuth and uncovers the social, cultural and political underpinnings of his postwar Wagnerism.
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