Sir Anthony Hopkins has launched a music career, aged 88.
The Silence of the Lambs star has released his first single, Bracken Road, ahead of his debut album as a classic composer, Life Is a Dream, which will be released on August 21st.
Bracken Road, from Hopkin’s 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra, was released on Friday (10.07.26), and is inspired by his childhood in Margam, South Wales, where he was born.
Anthony – who started playing the piano aged four – said in a statement: “Music was my first desire, my first wish, 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.
“My whole life is a dream.”
The Hannibal star has signed with Decca Classics for the upcoming album, which is conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Anthony added: “Signing with Decca is the honour 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.
“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.”
Dudamel was struck by the “beauty and craftsmanship” of Hopkins’ composition.
The 45-year-old conductor said: “Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium.
“The same depth of imagination, humanity, and emotional truth that has defined his extraordinary work on stage and screen is present in his music.
“Listening to his composition, I am struck by its beauty, craftsmanship, and the unmistakable sense of wonder that animates it.
“Anthony approaches music with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet, creating sound worlds that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.
“It has been a privilege to collaborate with him on this recording alongside my friends Gregorio Nieto, Sergio Tiempo, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, and to help bring to life the musical voice of an artist whose creativity knows no boundaries.”
Decca said about Hopkins’ Bracken Road: “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.”