Anthony Hopkins to release debut classical album ‘Life Is a Dream’ in Aug

WASHINGTON: Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins is set to release his debut classical music album, ‘Life Is a Dream’, later this year.

The 88-year-old actor released the album’s first single, ‘Bracken Road,’ on Friday. The collection, which features compositions Hopkins has written over the past six decades, will be released by Decca Classics on August 21. The music is performed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Decca Classics said that, ‘Bracken Road’ draws inspiration from Hopkins’ childhood in Margam, South Wales, and the landscapes surrounding his family home during the 1940s. Other compositions on the album include My Fatherland, inspired by traditional Welsh melodies, as well as pieces influenced by cinema, his wife and his niece.

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Speaking about the project, Hopkins described music as his “first desire” and said many of the compositions have remained with him for decades.

“Music was my first desire, my first wish… 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. My whole life is a dream. Signing with Decca is the honor of a lifetime”, he said in a statement as per The Hollywood Reporter.

Hopkins, who has played the piano since the age of four, has long maintained an interest in composing. As a teenager, he wrote music for local theatre productions. In 2012, the self-taught composer won the Classic Brit Award for Album of the Year after composing the title waltz for And the Waltz Goes On, recorded by violinist Andre Rieu.

Calling it the “honor of a lifetime” to work with Decca Classics, Hopkins also thanked the musicians who helped bring the album to life.

“It has been a true privilege to collaborate with the distinguished Philharmonia Orchestra and the virtuoso soloists, cellist Gregorio Nieto and classical pianist Sergio Tiempo. My deepest gratitude and respect go to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose artistry is an integral part of this musical journey. With the graceful precision of his baton, he transformed each note with profound and indelible meaning, creating a pictorial landscape that invites the listener to feel and imagine something uniquely personal”, he said. (ANI)