It was the beginning of a New Year and a grand adventure for Franz Joseph Haydn. On January 1st, 1791, he left Calais for London, where he was to conduct his latest symphonies for English audiences. He wrote to a friend in Vienna:

My arrival set off a big commotion¹ throughout the city, and I made the rounds of all the newspapers for three days in a row. Everybody wants to know me. I’ve already had to dine out six times, and if I wanted, I could dine out every day, but first I have to think of my health and my work. Except for the nobility I receive no callers before two o’clock in the afternoon, and at four I dine at home with my host, Mr. Salomon. I have pleasant and comfortable, but pricey lodgings² . My landlord is an Italian—and a cook to boot —and serves me four very decent meals, but everything is awfully³ expensive here.

I was invited to a splendid amateur concert, but I got there a bit late, and when I showed my ticket they wouldn’t let me in but led me to an antechamber where I had to wait until the piece being played was over. Then they opened the door of the concert hall and I was escorted on the arm of the entrepreneur up the center of the hall to the front of the orchestra to unanimous applause, and there I was stared at and hailed with many English compliments. I was assured that such honors had not been conferred upon anyone for fifty years.

After the concert I was led to a handsome room, where I was supposed to be seated at the head of a table for two hundred amateurs. But since I had dined out that day and had eaten more than I was used to, I turned down the honor with the excuse that I was feeling a bit under the weather . All the same, I had to drink the harmonious⁴ health—in Burgundy —of all the gentlemen there. They all returned the toast and then I was permitted to be taken home.

对于弗朗兹•约瑟夫•海顿而言，这既是新一年的开始，也是巨大冒险的开端。1791年1月1日，他离开加来，前往伦敦。他要在伦敦为英国听众演奏自己最新的交响乐作品。他给一个在维也纳的朋友写了一封信：

我的到来让全城都沸腾了。一连三天，我在所有报纸上轮番露脸。人人都想认识我。我已经赴宴六次——如果我愿意，我可以天天如此，但我不得不首先顾忌我的健康和正事儿。除了贵客以外，下午两点以前我不见任何来客。4点时，我和我的主人萨洛蒙先生在家用餐。我的住处令人愉快、舒适，但价格也不菲。我的房东是意大利人，也是个厨师，他用丰盛的四餐款待我，但这里什么都贵得要命。

我应邀去参加一个隆重的业余音乐会，但我迟到了一小会儿。当我拿出门票时，他们居然不让我进去，而是把我领到一间接待室，我不得不在那里等着，直到演奏的曲子结束。然后他们打开音乐厅的大门，我由主办者搀扶着，被护送到了音乐厅的中央，来到了乐队席的前面，被全体一致的掌声所淹没。在那里，我万众瞩目，领受英国人的欢呼与赞美。据有人保证说，50年来，这样的荣誉无人享受。

音乐会后，我被领到了一间很大的屋子，在那儿我理应被安排坐在能容纳两百名业余音乐爱好者的桌子之首。但由于那天我去赴宴，吃得要比平常多，我就推脱说身体有些不适，婉言谢绝了这一荣誉。尽管如此，我还是得和在场的所有先生喝勃艮第葡萄酒，为健康而干杯，气氛和睦融洽。等他们都回敬祝酒之后，我才获准得以被送回家。