Sir Anthony Hopkins, the Welsh-born actor renowned for his roles in The Silence of the Lambs and The Father, has added another chapter to his multifaceted career. At 88, he has signed a recording contract with Decca Classics to release a selection of orchestral pieces he has written over the past sixty years.
“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” Hopkins said 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.”
The upcoming album, titled Life Is a Dream, will be conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra. The first single, ‘Bracken Road’, was released today. According to Decca, the piece is “inspired by childhood memories of Margam, South Wales, it is a nostalgic musical portrait of the streets, meadows, farmland and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s.”
A Lifelong Musical Journey
Hopkins, a self-taught composer who has played the piano since the age of four, is no stranger to the recording studio. In 2011, Dutch violinist and conductor André Rieu released an album featuring a waltz Hopkins composed in 1964. The following year, Hopkins released Composer, performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and won a Classic Brit Award for Album of the Year.
His live musical debut came in 2025 in Saudi Arabia, where the Life Is a Dream concert was performed by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Now, with Decca, he is bringing his compositions to a wider audience.
“Signing with Decca is the honor of a lifetime,” added Hopkins. “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.”
Laura Monks, president of Decca, said: “It is such a privilege to have the great Sir Anthony Hopkins join Decca Classics. His depth of talent and classical music knowledge, honed over a lifetime, is a joy to celebrate with this new album.” She added that hearing his compositions come to life in London with Dudamel and the Philharmonia was “a once in a lifetime experience.”
Other pieces on the album include ‘My Fatherland’, inspired by traditional Welsh melodies, and compositions dedicated to his wife and niece. The album’s title, Life Is a Dream, echoes the themes of memory and reflection that run through Hopkins’s work.
This move underscores the enduring appeal of classical music in Europe, where institutions like the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continue to thrive. It also highlights the continent’s role as a hub for artistic collaboration, from London to Paris and beyond.
