Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, earning international acclaim for his remarkable versatility, intelligence and commanding presence, establishing an enduring legacy on both stage and screen The world-renowned knight of the British realm who, in a career spanning almost seven decades, has won myriad honours, not least two Oscars, four BAFTAs, two Primetime Emmys and a Laurence Olivier Award.

Now, in the year of his 89th birthday, with this debut release for Decca Classics, is another Anthony Hopkins.

Composer.

Life is a dream is a collection of 12 exquisite classical pieces written by the pianist and self-taught writer. They’ve been recorded with the internationally renowned Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, and are performed by world-class musicians including Caracas-born Argentinian pianist Sergio Tiempo, Venezuelan cellist Gregorio Nieto, The Bach Choir and The Boy Choristers of Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.

“Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any single medium,” says Dudamel. “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.”

Not that this is the first flowering of Sir Anthony’s musical creativity. Far from it. As he once told Classic FM: “My interest in music started when I was four years old. My parents bought me a piano and I had a piano instructor. By the time I was 10 I was playing Beethoven and Chopin. I used to play Beethoven over and over, to the point that my father asked me to stop. Once he asked me: ‘What are you playing?’ And when I responded ‘Beethoven’ my father said: ‘No wonder he went bloody deaf!’”

Undaunted, he kept up with music, even as acting proved more of a call while studying at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. In 1957, the year he graduated, the 19-year-old wrote his first composition, an “improvised” and “evocative” 10-minute piece. As he later explained to Gramophone: “I did not know what a score looked like. So I went to the library and I found a score of Scherezade by Rimsky-Korsakov. I figured out how to put a score together and started putting this piece of mine down on paper.” And the rest, as they say, was not quite history. Not yet.

In 1964, during a theatre run at Liverpool Playhouse, Sir Anthony spent his downtime tinkering on the green room piano. He came up with “a little waltz theme”. Many years later, he sent it to André Rieu. And the waltz goes on became the title piece of Rieu’s 2011 release—which won the Classical Brit Award for Album of the Year—and is now a regular at the maestro of Maastricht’s sets.

In the intervening years, as his acting career flourished, Sir Anthony’s private passion remained just that—personal, hidden. Until, that is he composed the score to his film directorial debut, August (1994), an adaptation of the Chekhov play, Uncle Vanya. He continued to compose at the encouragement of his wife Stella, writing more concert music for ensembles such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and scored the 2008 feature film, Slipstream, recorded in Los Angeles by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2012, he released his first album. Composer featured nine of his original works performed live by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, including Margam—originally the end credits to the soundtrack for August, reworked into a concert piece as a tribute to the suburb of Port Talbot where he grew up.

Now, having achieved all there is to achieve—and more—on screen and stage, he’s returning, full-hearted, to the art that formed him all those years ago. As he told Gramophone: “Music was my first desire, my first wish – and then I became an actor.”

Continuity, though, the throughlines of Sir Anthony’s cultural and geographical terroir, remain integral to his artistry, however he expresses it. Before it became the title of this new album, Life is a dream was the name of a 2025 gala concert, hosted by Sir Anthony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring his works performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

As he said at the time of the event, “the theme of this concert is that life is a long farewell to the bitter. During this time, and after all the efforts made, whether in Wales or California, we believe that music can be a path to inner peace.”

As much is true on the vivid compositions on Life is a dream. This is music that both reaches out and stretches back, as exemplified by the album’s fresh take on Margam. There’s a further tribute to Wales on My fatherland—a piece to, as he puts it, “honour my humble beginnings. I am the son of my father, the baker.”

He is, too, a product of his passion for classical music, practicing Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin daily at the piano. This music is the score, and story, of Sir Anthony Hopkins’ life—a sentiment echoed by Dudamel.

“Anthony approaches music with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet,” his collaborator says, “creating sound worlds that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. It has been a privilege to collaborate with him on this recording, and to help bring to life the musical voice of an artist whose creativity knows no boundaries.”

Craig McLean © 2026