The painting shows that Paganini met Berlioz after the concert of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique in the Paris Conservatoire.
After three years, in 1834, Paganini asked Berlioz to write a viola concerto to introduce the Stradivarius viola he had acquired. However, when Paganini saw the sketch of the 1st movement with all the rest in the solo viola part, he was disappointed and told Berlioz he would like to play continuously. They then parted ways.
But it is not the end between Paganini and Harold en Italie. After Paganini heard the performance in 1838, he said to Berlioz "You will never know how your music affected me. It is many years since I had felt anything like it." After few days, Paganini sent Berlioz a letter to congratulate him.
Here is the transcription by Franz Liszt in 1836.
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