Mozart’s Contemporaries La Speranza

• Hyacinthe Jadin (1776 - 1800): String Quartet in F major, Op. 4 no. 2:
• 1 Jadin: String Quartet in F major, Op. 4 no. 2: I. Allegro non troppo 10:07
• 2 Jadin: String Quartet in F major, Op. 4 no. 2: II. Minuetto - Trio 02:36
• 3 Jadin: String Quartet in F major, Op. 4 no. 2: III. Adagio molto 09:21
• 4 Jadin: String Quartet in F major, Op. 4 no. 2: IV. Allegro assai 05:11
• Joseph Eybler (1765 - 1846): String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 10 no. 1:
• 5 Eybler: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 10 no. 1: I. Adagio - Allegro 08:09
• 6 Eybler: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 10 no. 1: II. Andante 03:20
• 7 Eybler: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 10 no. 1: III. Menuetto moderato - Trio 02:47
• 8 Eybler: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 10 no. 1: IV: Allegro molto 05:10
• Paul Wranitzky (1756 - 1808): String Quartet, Op. 23 no. 2:
• 9 Wranitzky: String Quartet, Op. 23 no. 2: I. Allegro 10:47
• 10 Wranitzky: String Quartet, Op. 23 no. 2: II. Adagio 06:18
• 11 Wranitzky: String Quartet, Op. 23 no. 2: III. Finale: Tempo di Menuetto 07:18
• Total Runtime 01:11:04

Info for Mozart’s Contemporaries

It is daunting to think that many great talents have been forgotten due to living in another’s shadow. This is all the more probable for composers of the late 18th century, who, as a collective, have been all but eclipsed by the eternal Mozart. Texas-based string quartet La Speranza has made it their mission to champion unsung composers, and MOZART’S CONTEMPORARIES may be their greatest feat yet.

The all-woman ensemble presents exuberant works by Jadin, Eybler, and Wranitzky, all solid composers in their own right, overlooked merely due to biographical misfortune. These pieces are bubbly and light like a good summer’s wine, and equally intoxicating in their virtuosity and charm.

La Speranza

La Speranza
brings hope and beauty to audiences through vibrant, life-affirming performances of both time-honored and overlooked chamber music of the 18th and 19th centuries. By exploring the expressive possibilities of historical instruments, we open a conduit to birth new and relevant musical experiences from the sounds of the past, connecting us in the present day with each other, our community, and the world at large.

We are a group of four dynamic women who love to perform and be together in music-making. Director and founder Yvonne Smith envisioned a string-based historical ensemble for Houston and beyond in 2016, and has worked ever since to make it a reality.

Yvonne Smith
At age nine when her family was living in upstate New York, Yvonne Smith chose to learn to play the viola because of its rich, dark sound, its supporting role in ensembles … and her acute distaste for high notes, which would have been inevitable, had she chosen to play the violin. Her love for the viola grew throughout her childhood years and several cross-country moves, and she eventually grew to tolerate and even embrace high notes.

Yvonne was first introduced to early music as a teenager when she heard and fell in love with a recording of Corelli’s violin concerti by Philharmonia Baroque. She began seriously pursuing historical performance shortly after completing her modern viola performance degrees from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (B.Mus’13, M.Mus’ 15). While at Rice, she studied with James Dunham and Joan DerHovsepian.

In addition to performing with and directing La Speranza, Yvonne enjoys a full schedule as a performing and teaching artist on both modern and baroque viola. She has appeared as soloist with and as a member of Lyra Baroque (Minneapolis, MN) and American Bach Soloists (San Francisco, CA). She also has a thriving viola studio of private students ranging from age 8 to adult and is a contracted substitute in the Houston Symphony viola section for the 2024-2025 season. Yvonne’s baroque viola was made by Timothy Johnson in 2017 after a viola by Andrea Guarneri, made in 1676.

This album contains no booklet.