Bruce Broughton on Heroes, brass band contesting and the arts | episode 33
Multi-Emmy winning composer, Bruce Broughton, composer of Heroes, the set test-piece for the 2021 National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, chats to British Bandsman editor, Mark Good. Bruce, who’s 76, is a renowned composer in the world of film and television; you might have heard his work featuring in everything from Silverado to Tombstone, The Rescuers Down Under and Miracle on 34th Street, as well as episodes of Dallas, Quincy, Hawaii Five-O and How the West Was Won. Bruce discusses Heroes and how the piece came into being. He also charts his musical roots and early experiences playing in Salvation Army bands. Bruce ponders how he might find the experience of listening to not one, not two, but 19 performances of his piece in one day, such is the way of brass band contesting, and discusses his admiration for some legendary brass players with which he crossed paths. But first, Bruce reflects on the past eighteen months, from the perspective of a composer.