How did Richard Wagner respond to Hector Berlioz’s Funeral Symphony?

Richard Wagner, who was seeking to establish his career in Paris at the time, admired Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie funèbre et triomphale (Funeral Symphony) wholeheartedly.1

Commissioned for the 10th anniversary of the July Revolution of 1830, the work was originally intended for the inauguration of the July Column at the Place de la Bastille. Although the initial performance was marred by the music being drowned out by a drum corps, Berlioz successfully presented the work again the following month in a concert hall, where it earned Wagner's sincere admiration. This appreciation helped foster a connection between the two composers, who would go on to have a complex, 30-year relationship characterized by differing musical ideals.1