Edward Gardner and the orchestra of which he was formerly principal guest conductor move backwards through the 19th century, from Mendelssohn (2/14, 10/14, 4/15) to Schubert. Handily, this selection of symphonies fills in the gaps in the round up of recent Schubert discs in the last issue of Gramophone with Nos 3 and 5; only No 8, the Unfinished, was included in that selection.

The two earlier symphonies here display the same hallmarks as their near neighbours, combining the design and drive of early Beethoven with the terseness of Haydn and a melodic style distilled from Mozartian lyricism and Rossinian whimsy. They can too easily sound routine if not played with the care for structure and phrasing that is characteristic of Gardner’s approach. The orchestra, too, are on fine form, with the woodwind especially making the most of their contributions, not least the clarinets, so integral to the sound world of the Third. Speeds never drag, with some pinpoint string work in finales; perhaps only the slow movement of the Fifth lacks a little in breadth and repose, but it is shaped so acutely that one doesn’t mind in the slightest.

The advance from the early symphonies – the Sixth was completed shortly after Schubert turned 21 – to their successor, the Unfinished, is made all the more breathtaking when they are placed in juxtaposition, as here. The microphones seem to have been moved out to accommodate the larger orchestra, complete with three trombones; and, following the louring cello-and-bass introduction, the ensuing unison oboe-and-clarinet melody blows in like a solar wind; the voice is now uniquely Schubert’s. Once again, Gardner doesn’t linger unduly (there is, after all, the practical matter of fitting three symphonies on a single disc). The same beauty of playing is present, and the sense of catharsis at the close of this miraculous two-movement torso is palpable. A worthwhile opening gambit in a cycle that will undoubtedly be worth following.