Legendary British actor Anthony Hopkins is set to release an album of original compositions titled Life Is A Dream, after signing a record deal with Decca Classics.
The two-time Academy Award winner for Best Actor has been playing piano since the age of four and regularly composed music for local drama productions as a teenager. Now aged 88, the Welsh film legend is finally ramping his musical ambitions up a notch.
Life Is A Dream consists of tracks from across six decades of original composing, with the recordings conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Songs include Bracken Road, which was part of the composition 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra, and My Fatherland, a nod to the traditional Welsh melodies that Hopkins grew up with in his hometown of Margam, Port Talbot.
While the legendary film star has never developed a musical project of this scope before, it's not the first time he has released his own compositions.
Back in 1986, his single Distant Star reached No. 75 in the UK singles chart, while in 2012, he released an album of classical music called Composer, performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
“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.”
He added: "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.”
