Sir Anthony Hopkins will release a new album of original orchestral music on August 21, marking his first release for Decca Classics. Recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel, Life Is A Dream revisits works the actor has composed over more than six decades.
While Life Is A Dream is Hopkins’ first release for Decca Classics, it is not his first recording as a composer. His orchestral album Composer was released in 2012, and his waltz And the Waltz Goes On gained international attention after being recorded by André Rieu in 2011.
The album brings together compositions written across different periods of Hopkins’ life, many inspired by his childhood in Wales, family memories and personal experiences. Although widely recognised for his work on screen and stage, Hopkins has composed music for decades, describing it as his “first desire” long before acting became his profession.
“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,” Hopkins said in a statement announcing the release.
The first single, Bracken Road, was released on Friday. Originally conceived in 1963 while Hopkins was a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse, the work later became part of 1947 Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra. According to Decca Classics, the piece reflects memories of the landscape surrounding his childhood home in Margam, South Wales.
The recording also features Venezuelan cellist Gregorio Nieto, Argentine pianist Sergio Tiempo, The Bach Choir and the Choristers of Winchester Cathedral.
Dudamel described Hopkins as “one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium,” adding that the actor approaches composition “with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet.”
For Hopkins, the project represents the culmination of a lifelong musical ambition.
“My whole life is a dream. Signing with Decca is the honour of a lifetime,” he said, thanking Dudamel, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the participating soloists for bringing the music to life.
The album will be released worldwide on 21 August 2026.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Life Is A Dream is Anthony Hopkins’ first album for Decca Classics, not his first album as a composer. Hopkins previously released the orchestral album Composer in 2012.
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