There was one moment of supreme drama in Riccardo Muti's performance of Schubert's great C major Symphony with the Philharmonia Orchestra. In the slow movement, Muti created a thundering climax that ended in a brutal, crunching dissonance and a pregnant, gaping silence. It was as if the music had come to a structural and emotional impasse - but out of this abyss, a fragile cello melody gradually returned the music to life. Muti's slow tempo made this passage achingly moving, and revealed how Schubert creates a complex drama from the simplest of melodies.

The slow movement was the highlight of a performance that was warmly lyrical and fizzingly exciting. It was also unashamedly old-fashioned: instead of paring down the orchestra to an ensemble that Schubert might have recognised, Muti used the full forces of the Philharmonia, with a vast string section and doubled woodwinds. He inspired this huge ensemble to playing of great delicacy and thrilling accuracy: the introduction to the main allegro in the first movement grew from a distant horn solo into an impassioned song, and the finale grew into a whirlwind of symphonic momentum. Muti did not plumb the depths of Schubert's symphonic writing, but in terms of sheer orchestral brilliance, he and the Philharmonia were undeniably impressive.

Even in the accompaniment to Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Muti allowed the players to revel in orchestral opulence, but they were also sensitive partners for violinist Vadim Repin. There was no doubting Repin's technical prowess - especially in two show-stealing cadenzas - but for all his power and precision, there was something missing. The slow movement was self-consciously beautiful, but it was mired in a tempo that made the music lugubrious rather than lyrical. Only in the finale did Repin abandon himself to the moment, creating a rustic, vivacious dance.