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 commotion 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 lodgings . My landlord is an Italian—and a cook to boot —and serves me four very decent meals, but everything is awfully 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 harmonious health—in Burgundy —of all the gentlemen there. They all returned the toast and then I was permitted to be taken home.

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對(duì)于弗朗茲•約瑟夫•海頓而言，這既是新一年的開(kāi)始，也是巨大冒險(xiǎn)的開(kāi)端。1791年1月1日，他離開(kāi)加來(lái)，前往倫敦。他要在倫敦為英國(guó)聽(tīng)眾演奏自己最新的交響樂(lè)作品。他給一個(gè)在維也納的朋友寫(xiě)了一封信：

我的到來(lái)讓全城都沸騰了。一連三天，我在所有報(bào)紙上輪番露臉。人人都想認(rèn)識(shí)我。我已經(jīng)赴宴六次——如果我愿意，我可以天天如此，但我不得不首先顧忌我的健康和正事兒。除了貴客以外，下午兩點(diǎn)以前我不見(jiàn)任何來(lái)客。4點(diǎn)時(shí)，我和我的主人薩洛蒙先生在家用餐。我的住處令人愉快、舒適，但價(jià)格也不菲。我的房東是意大利人，也是個(gè)廚師，他用豐盛的四餐款待我，但這里什么都貴得要命。

我應(yīng)邀去參加一個(gè)隆重的業(yè)余音樂(lè)會(huì)，但我遲到了一小會(huì)兒。當(dāng)我拿出門(mén)票時(shí)，他們居然不讓我進(jìn)去，而是把我領(lǐng)到一間接待室，我不得不在那里等著，直到演奏的曲子結(jié)束。然后他們打開(kāi)音樂(lè)廳的大門(mén)，我由主辦者攙扶著，被護(hù)送到了音樂(lè)廳的中央，來(lái)到了樂(lè)隊(duì)席的前面，被全體一致的掌聲所淹沒(méi)。在那里，我萬(wàn)眾矚目，領(lǐng)受英國(guó)人的歡呼與贊美。據(jù)有人保證說(shuō)，50年來(lái)，這樣的榮譽(yù)無(wú)人享受。

音樂(lè)會(huì)后，我被領(lǐng)到了一間很大的屋子，在那兒我理應(yīng)被安排坐在能容納兩百名業(yè)余音樂(lè)愛(ài)好者的桌子之首。但由于那天我去赴宴，吃得要比平常多，我就推脫說(shuō)身體有些不適，婉言謝絕了這一榮譽(yù)。盡管如此，我還是得和在場(chǎng)的所有先生喝勃艮第葡萄酒，為健康而干杯，氣氛和睦融洽。等他們都回敬祝酒之后，我才獲準(zhǔn)得以被送回家。

Haydn: 即Franz Joseph Haydn，弗朗茲•約瑟夫•海頓（1732—1809），奧地利著名作曲家，維也納古典樂(lè)派代表人物之一，一生創(chuàng)作豐富，有交響曲、弦樂(lè)四重奏和歌劇等。