Schubert's symphonic slow movements seem on the whole to draw more from Muti than do Beethoven's, but then one would expect some innate sympathy for Schubert from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Muti's characteristically suave phrasing dominates the andantes of both symphonies, though accentuation is just that little bit more emphatic, and details like the oboe's early counter-melody in No. 4's slow movement are tellingly shaped. I still feel though that Gunter Wand (EMI), while yielding nothing to Muti as regards control, has considerably more feeling for Schubertian gemutlichkeit; Muti can sound bland in comparison, except when—as in the central section of Symphony No. 6's Andante—he inclines to brusqueness.
Faster movements are generally more successful. In both of No. 4's allegros there's an impressive forward drive, with well-focused rhythmic definition, and the Minuet is surprisingly mobile. If the outer movements appear at times to depict a battle between Beethoven and Rossini, that at least is a plausible way of regarding this music: Schubert was trying to come to terms with both influences at the time he wrote this symphony. Other conductors, however, have brought a greater sense of stylistic homogeneity without seeming to do violence to the spirit of the music—Wand for instance, or Abbado (DG), or most convincingly of all, Beecham (EMI—not yet on CD). Plush recorded sound dulls the edges a little, though there's still plenty of punch left in the first movement of No. 6.'