Riccardo Muti is a frequent guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic. And many have long wanted him to take over as music director. Will he do so, once Lorin Maazel departs at the end of next season? Informed opinion says no. And informed opinion, I suspect, is right (in this case).

Mr. Muti conducted the most recent two subscription concerts of the Philharmonic. The first had a soloist, and a starry one: the pianist Lang Lang. But the second was all-orchestral, leaving Mr. Muti in the spotlight by himself. Along with the orchestra, of course.

He conducted a Rossini overture and two less-than-famous symphonies by two famous symphonists. The overture was one of Rossini’s most delightful: that to “Semiramide.” And, by the way, Mr. Muti takes care to champion his fellow Italians. In his earlier subscription concert, he began with Cherubini — and he has even brought Petrassi to the Philharmonic. (That would be Goffredo Petrassi, who lived almost a full century, starting in 1904.)

The “Semiramide” overture has a wellloved beginning, full of anticipation, suspense, and excitement. It may remind you of riding a horse. And, on Thursday night, Mr. Muti and the Philharmonic handled this beginning splendidly. They were impressive in the rest of the overture, too. They were chipper, bright, precise — on a pinpoint. They also expressed some of Rossini’s trademark cheek.

Mr. Muti’s mastery of this music was never for a moment in doubt. You might have thought, “No wonder they let him lead La Scala for 20 years.”

I might mention that this overture contains several horn choirs, and they were okay — but, boy, could you hear the effort. Sometimes, the Philharmonic horn section gives the impression of scaling Mt. Everest, while trying to perform brain surgery and recite “Paradise Lost” at the same time. Of course, struggle, difficulty, is inherent in the instrument.

The less-than-famous symphonies by the famous symphonists? The first was the Symphony No. 3 in D of Schubert. The composer wrote this marvelous piece when he was 18. We never think of Schubert as a child prodigy, and he wasn’t (if the standard is Mozart — or Saint-Saëns, or Korngold). But what an extraordinary young man (to put it as mildly as possible).

From Mr. Muti’s baton, the first movement of the Third Symphony was graceful, sensible, and well-proportioned. And, blessedly, it was not too slow. The Philharmonic played very, very cleanly, as these guys would all night long. I must report, however, that this first movement was a tad — just a tad — dull.

And, oddly enough, it sounded not unlike Rossini. This reminded me of a longstanding rap on Mr. Muti, one I originally heard in about 1980, when he became boss in Philadelphia: He can make everything sound like Verdi.

In any case, the first movement was fine, and the second one, Allegretto, was fine, too: well-mannered, dancing, and seamless. The third, a minuet (speaking of dancing), had a wonderful propulsion. This is a fast minuet: Vivace. And the last movement, a really speedy thing, was shot through with Classical glee. Does it have to be so light and Italianate? Can it be just a little more Germanic? Maybe, but Mr. Muti was by no means inappropriate.

His program ended with the Fifth Symphony of Dvorÿák. Some hold this to be a neglected masterpiece (by an unneglected master). It has superb moments, as it cannot help having, given who wrote it, but it is no masterpiece — not in my opinion. That does not mean it isn’t worth an acquaintance.

The first movement has a touch of the coming “New World” Symphony in it. It is also full of Czech flavor: in its rhythm, for example. (Our jazzmen didn’t invent syncopation, you know.) Mr. Muti and the orchestra were fully engaged, and they included the right amount of raucousness. The horn work was good and accurate — and not effortful at all.

Dvorÿák’s slow movement — actually, not so slow: Andante con moto — brings a sad, sweet song. This was nicely rendered by our players, even if their sound could have been richer. As for the Scherzo, it seemed a little relaxed, when a bit more tension could have made it more effective. And, incidentally, a couple of clarinet licks in this movement sound straight out of the “Pastoral” Symphony (Beethoven).

The Finale, in my view, is the weakest of the four movements here. We get sound and fury — but signifying what? Dvorÿ ák succumbs to symphonic gesturing, which is beneath him. Still, Mr. Muti and the Philharmonic did with the material what they could.

Over the years, I have been critical of this conductor, and we have heard him give many a mediocre performance. Mr. Muti can come off as uninspired, pedestrian. But Thursday night’s was a very fine concert, and so had the previous Thursday’s been. And the high point of the more recent concert had to be that Rossini overture. When it was through, the crowd at Avery Fisher exploded in applause — a lusty, throaty applause. It might have been a hot night at La Scala.

No doubt Mr. Muti had a few of those, in that 20-year stretch.