As on his previous record of Mozart violin concertos reviewed last December, Lin here has the edge over most rivals by adding one of the alternative movements that Mozart wrote for two of these early works. Just as Lin's coupling of K216 and K219 had the Adagio in E as the alternative slow movement for K219, so here the Rondo in B flat is included as the alternative finale of the first concerto, K207, substituting a jolly, galloping 6/8 for the original dashing movement, which, as Leppard suggests in his excellent sleeve-note, is almost Haydnesque in its boisterousness. On CD it is easy enough to programme whichever you prefer.
The effervescence of Lin's playing goes well with the approach to these works which Leppard makes explicit in his sleeve-note. Balanced rather more naturally than either Perlman (DG) or Mutter (EMI) on their rival versions of K218 Lin's extra delicacy goes with an easier manner with more fun in it, bringing out the light and shade. As Leppard puts it, with rococo pomposity and coquettish charm contrasted, ''the listener is forced to become, like Cherubino later, a reluctant member of the 18th century militia at one moment and a lover well-versed in 18th century courtesies the next''. The slow movement is most tenderly done, with a magically hushed final phrase from the soloist, while the humour of the finale is delectably pointed by soloist and conductor alike.
The B flat Concerto, K207, the first of the series much less frequently performed, is here no poor relation, though the scale is smaller. Very striking in the first movement is the characteristic minorkey adventuring in the development section, and again the slow movement is done with Mozartian delicacy, not at all soupy or romantically out of scale. Lin's articulation in the Haydnesque finale is delightfully crisp, with the easy jollity of K269 providing a complete contrast, using one idea that reminds me of the finale of Symphony No. 29, which Mozart wrote two years earlier. With clear, natural, well-balanced sound, this Lin version makes me look forward to the completion of his set.'