Pruden's arrangement of the Imperial Salute of Iran, the Iranian National Anthem (and entitled as such by Pruden) until the Islamic Revolution of 1979, when the monarchy was abolished, was commissioned for a concert attended by the Shahanshah Aryamehr and the Shahbanou of Iran, given by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (then the New Zealand Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra (NZBCO)) in Christchurch on 27 September 1974. Pruden signed off his manuscript on 25 September. The occasion of the performance was reported by Charles Foster Browne in The Press of 28 September under the headline "A Royal Occasion," but he doesn't mention the anthem. The programme included 's Seventh Symphony, Lilburn's Landfall in Unknown Seas (conducted by Alex Lindsay), and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 (played by Michael Houstoun); the conductor for all but the Lilburn was Heins Jordan. The Shah's party only attended the second half of the concert (i.e. after the Beethoven) and, according to the published programme, both the New Zealand and Iranian anthems were played following the interval.