Lambton Quay might be described as a place-paean: a vivid tone picture that New Zealanders can feel an affinity with and that speaks of the pioneering spirit. This work emotionally responds to the force of life Pruden perceived in his surroundings, but its regionalism should be understood in the most expansive sense. For Pruden, the region was not a perimeter but an aperture: a space through which the world could be seen. Lambton Quay was composed for a brass band competition held in 1957 under the auspices of the Australasian Performing Right Association and the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. Pruden imagined the piece as the depiction of a wharf that reflects a bustling city, and his exuberant score, with its flourishes, artfully placed rhythms, and the pertinent hint of nostalgia, never loses its freshness.