To-day at last I can tell you something definite about London. A Mr. Anderson, treasurer to the Philharmonic and conductor of the Queen's orchestra, came specially to Zurich to arrange the matter with me. I was not pleased about it, for going to London and conducting Philharmonic concerts is not my metier. London is the only place in the world where it may become possible for me to conduct my Lohengrin again, as these stupid kings and princes of Germany have something better to do than to amnesty me. It might be an interesting task to win the sympathy of the English to the point of inducing them to enable me to establish an exquisite German opera there next year, under Court patronage, for the performance of my works under my own conductorship. I admit that I could find no better means to this end than by appearing there as director of the Philharmonic, the old one! and, on the whole, could find no further objections to this sale of myself, although I fetched a very low price, two hundred pounds for four months. So at the beginning of March I shall appear in London at eight concerts, the first taking place on March 12th, the last on June 25th.
It is famous news that you have finished your Faust. You can imagine with what incredible eagerness I look forward to it; but it is very dreadful that you will not show it to me sooner. Funnily enough, I have just been overcome with a great desire to revise my old Faust Overture again. I have written an entirely new score, orchestrated it afresh throughout, entirely altered much of it and added length and importance to the middle movement (second motif). In a few days I shall give it at a concert here and call it A Faust Overture.
The god who dwells within my breast doth strongly stir my heart to love; my powers are all at his divine behest, yet outward things he cannot move. This doth my spirit so with grief oppress: I long for death, my life is bitterness!
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 272