Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart could already lay claim to a long list of compositions when he wrote his earliest string quartet. At 14 years old, he conceived his G major quartet one evening in Lodi, near Milan. Similarly, other quartets on this recording appear to have been written on the spur of the moment, which does not mean they were written in a hurry, however. Joseph Haydn's achievements in this genre do not appear to have weighed heavily on his shoulders at that stage. K. 155-160 were also written in Italy, mostly in Milan, then the capital of the Habsburg duchy of Lombardy, and Italian influences are more easily discernible. The early K. 80 is a precursor to the later cycle of six quartets composed in late 1772 and early 1773 while on leave from the princely archbishop's court in Salzburg. Whereas K. 80 is in four movements, all the others are in three.

Formed under the midnight sun in Lofoten in 2005, the Engegard Quartet has rapidly become one of Norway's most sought-after ensembles. Their bold, fresh interpretations of the classical repertoire combined with a deep attachment to their Scandinavian roots has attracted international acclaim and inspired some innovative partnerships and programming.