Having given us a First and Sixth (2/19), René Jacobs and the B’Rock Orchestra return to start filling in the gap in their Schubert symphony cycle with a Second and a Third. Those acquainted with the earlier disc will know what to expect, not least a selection of brisk tempos, to say the least: the second-movement Andante of the Third, for example, zips by in under three minutes, compared with over four and a half in Jonathan Nott’s Bamberg recording (Tudor). No punches are pulled, with sforzandos bursting from the speakers, underlined by minatory trumpets and hard timpani sticks. The recording is fairly close but not so that the heterogeneity between sections is blurred, and woodwind are encouraged throughout to play as soloists.

Jacobs’s Schubert is far from the naïf of legend, blithely spinning off melodies without a care. These performances place him inescapably in thrall to Beethoven, the motivic workings of both symphonies highlighted in preference to the smoothness others find in this music. And in typical Jacobs style, the tension is never allowed to drop. This relatively young period-instrument group has audibly gelled with its now-veteran guest conductor since their previous Schubert disc, with results that command the attention from first note to last, whether or not you can bear Jacobs’s tempo choices or effects such as the unscheduled portamentos in the Trio and finale of the Third Symphony – a nice touch to begin with but one that might pall on repetition.

Nevertheless, for those in tune with Jacobs’s aesthetic and with the slightly uncouth sounds of period instruments in music of this period, this may be a Schubert recording to relish. Others may yearn for something plusher and more relaxed. The further continuation of the series, though, is eagerly awaited.