On July 10, 2026, Anthony Hopkins announced Life Is a Dream, a classical music album of his own compositions, set for release on August 21 under the Decca Classics label, recorded by the London Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel.
Hopkins, a two-time Oscar winner, has been composing music for more than six decades. He learned piano at the age of four and in his youth wrote pieces for local theatre in Wales, his homeland. In 2012 he received a Classic Brit Award, and in 2014 he released Composer, his first album of original compositions, recorded with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The new record brings together orchestral works inspired by the Welsh landscapes of his childhood, the cinemas that fuelled his imagination, and tributes to his father, a baker. Dudamel's involvement, as principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and one of the most prominent Latin figures in classical music in the United States, connects the project with the North American Latino community.
The lead single, Bracken Road, a suite for piano and orchestra composed in 1963, was released on July 10. The recording, made at Alexandra Palace in London in April 2026, also features cellist Gregorio Nieto, pianist Sergio Tiempo, the Bach Choir, and the Boy Choristers of Winchester Cathedral. According to El País, Hopkins stated that music was his first calling: "I have been composing all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades." Dudamel described the actor to Infobae as "one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium," and noted that his compositions reflect "the heart of a storyteller and the instinct of a poet."
The album, which also includes the piece My Fatherland as a tribute to his Welsh origins, will be available from August 21 on digital platforms and in physical formats. Proceeds from CD and vinyl sales will be donated to the United Nations Development Programme, to support the population of Venezuela.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance, drawing on verified sources, and reviewed by a human editor before publication.