Elizabeth Hagedorn (soprano) and Thomas Kasdorf (piano) perform the world premiere of  Wilhelm Grosz's Song of Exile.

Date	5th May 2016
URL	https://vimeo.com/172547889#t=4408s
Format	Video

Wilhelm Grosz arrived with his wife Elisabeth in New York on April 28, 1939, to commence negotiations with Warner Studios for an engagement as a composer for films.  The couple had left their 9 year old daughter Eva Annelise in the care of her grandmother in London. When war was declared in September, the couple were prevented from reuniting with their young child. The stress of this must have contributed to the composer's heart condition, and he collapsed after a recital and died in December that year.

This composition is perhaps the only work that Grosz composed in America, and is in manuscript in the family archive. As there appears to be no evidence of performance, we believe this to be the world premiere of the song.