LONDON — Two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins has signed a recording contract with Decca Classics and released his first classical music single as a composer at the age of 88, marking a new chapter in a creative career that has spanned more than six decades on stage and screen.
The Welsh-born actor's debut single, "Bracken Road," was released ahead of his forthcoming orchestral album, "Life Is a Dream," which is scheduled for release on Aug. 21. According to Decca Classics, the album brings together original compositions Hopkins wrote over more than 60 years, drawing inspiration from his childhood, family and his native south Wales.
"Music was my first desire, my first wish," Hopkins said in a statement issued by the label. "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 album is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Grammy Award-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel, with solo performances by cellist Gregorio Nieto and pianist Sergio Tiempo. Hopkins said it had been "a true privilege" to collaborate with the musicians and praised Dudamel's contribution to bringing the works to life.
Dudamel described Hopkins as a composer whose music conveys emotional depth and a strong sense of narrative, qualities he said were evident throughout the recording sessions. Decca Classics said the collection reflects a lifetime of musical writing and presents Hopkins' most personal project to date.
Although Hopkins is internationally known for his Oscar-winning performances in "The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Father," he has long maintained an interest in music. He began playing the piano at the age of four and composed music for local theatrical productions as a teenager before establishing his acting career.
"Bracken Road," originally written in 1963, forms part of Hopkins' "1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra" and reflects memories of his early life in Wales. Other works on the album, including "My Fatherland," also draw on his Welsh heritage and personal experiences, according to the label.
The release of "Bracken Road" marks Hopkins' first recording under Decca Classics, with "Life Is a Dream" set to become his debut full-length album for the label when it is released on Aug. 21.
