After all these decades as an actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins has maintained his lifelong passion as a composer. Now, he is gearing up to release a new orchestral album, Life Is a Dream, on August 21st via Decca Classics. As a first preview, he has shared the lead single “1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: II. Bracken Road.” Stream it below.
Life Is a Dream features 12 new recordings of orchestral works written across more than six decades, which were inspired by Hopkins’ family, Wales, and his life experiences. Grammy Award-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra performed the album.
Well before Hopkins took an interest in acting, he studied piano beginning at the age of four and composed music for local plays as a teenager. “Music was my first desire, my first wish,” Hopkins explained in a statement. “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.”
Related Video
He added, “Signing with Decca is the honor of a lifetime. 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.”
Before Life Is a Dream, Hopkins co-wrote the compositions The Masque of Time and Schizoid Salsa with Stephen Barton, both of which the Dallas Symphony Orchestra premiered in October 2008.
In 2012, he released the classical album Composer. That same year, Hopkins received a Classic Brit Award for Album of the Year for his contribution to And the Waltz Goes On, a recording featuring André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra.
Pre-orders for Life Is a Dream are ongoing.
Life Is a Dream Artwork:
Life Is a Dream Tracklist:
01. Fanfare and March
02. Farewell My Love
03. And The Waltz Goes On
04. My Fatherland
05. Margam
06. 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: I. Circus
07. 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: II. Bracken Road
08. 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: III. The Plaza
09. Stella Aria
10. Tara
11. Two Pieces for Orchestra: I. The Eagle
12. Two Pieces for Orchestra: II. Samara