Taranaki is an emotional response to the force of life Pruden perceived in his surroundings. It was commissioned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of New Plymouth becoming a borough, and received its premiere on 13 September 1976, with the NZSO under Walter Susskind.
People born and brought up within sight of [Mount] Egmont are from earliest consciousness deeply affected by its presence, and nobody who lives there can escape its constant influence. I have tried in my overture to capture the joy and exhilaration I felt at the contemplation of that incomparable countryside with its inevitable backdrop of the mountain. A percussive outburst about three-quarters through could be taken as a reminder that this friendly landscape was long ago the scene of bitter and murderous strife. The work is dedicated to the memory of a distinguished Taranakian, my father, who died while it was being composed.
