Sir Anthony Hopkins Readies Orchestral LP

Sir Anthony Hopkins has spent decades captivating audiences on screen, but next month he’ll unveil another lifelong passion. The 88-year-old Oscar-winning actor has signed with Decca Classics and on Aug. 21 will release Life Is a Dream, his first album for the label and the first major collection of orchestral music he’s written over more than six decades.

Life Is a Dream pairs Hopkins’ compositions with performances by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The album draws on memories of Hopkins’ family, his Welsh upbringing and experiences spanning a lifetime, offering what Decca describes as his most personal musical project to date.

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“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” Hopkins says. “I’ve been composing music all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them.”

Long before acting became his profession, Hopkins was studying piano as a child in Port Talbot, Wales, performing Beethoven and Chopin by elementary school and improvising original music by age six. As a teenager in the 1950s, he was already composing for local theater productions.

The first preview of the project is “Bracken Road,” taken from 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra. Inspired by childhood memories of Margam, South Wales, the piece began life as a melody Hopkins improvised backstage at Liverpool Playhouse in 1963. Its orchestration nods to the slow movement of Edward Elgar’s First Symphony while incorporating influences ranging from the Harry James Orchestra to Jackie Gleason’s lush orchestral arrangements.

Elsewhere, the album revisits Hopkins’ roots through “My Fatherland,” which he describes as a tribute “to honor my humble beginnings. I am the son of my father, the baker.” Other works are dedicated to family members, including “Stella Aria” for his wife and “Tara” for his niece.

“My whole life is a dream. Signing with Decca is the honour of a lifetime,” Hopkins says. “It has been a true privilege to collaborate with the distinguished Philharmonia Orchestra and the virtuoso soloists… My deepest gratitude and respect go to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose artistry is an integral part of this musical journey.”

Dudamel calls Hopkins “one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium,” adding that the actor’s music possesses “the same depth of imagination, humanity, and emotional truth” that has defined his film career.

Recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace in April, Life Is a Dream also features pianist Sergio Tiempo, cellist Gregorio Nieto, The Bach Choir and the Boy Choristers of Winchester Cathedral.

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