Anthony Hopkins has announced Life Is A Dream, a collection of original compositions recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Gustavo Dudamel. The Decca Classics album will arrive on CD and digital platforms on August 21, followed by a two-LP vinyl edition on October 30. Hopkins has also released its first single, “Bracken Road,” which appears as the second movement of the three-part 1947 Suite.
“Bracken Road” draws on Hopkins’ memories of growing up in Margam, South Wales. He first conceived the piece as a song in 1963, while working as a young actor at the Liverpool Playhouse. According to Hopkins, its melody emerged as he improvised on an upright piano backstage before rehearsals. The finished orchestration reflects several influences cited by Hopkins, including the Harry James Orchestra, Jackie Gleason’s orchestral ballads, and the slow movement of Edward Elgar’s First Symphony.
Hopkins, who is self-taught as a composer, has written and revisited music throughout his acting career. “Music was my first desire, my first wish,” he said of the project. Life Is A Dream also features pianist Sergio Tiempo, cellist Gregorio Nieto, The Bach Choir, and the Choristers of Winchester Cathedral. Its 12 tracks include “Fanfare and March,” “Farewell My Love,” “And The Waltz Goes On,” “My Fatherland,” “Margam,” and two pieces for orchestra titled “Samsara” and “The Eagle.” Dudamel described the collaboration as an opportunity to explore another side of Hopkins’ creative work.
In November 2025, Summit Books published Hopkins’ memoir, We Did OK, Kid, covering his childhood, acting career, and path to sobriety. The 2025 psychological thriller Locked paired Hopkins with Bill Skarsgård and was released in U.S. theaters on March 21. In 2024, Hopkins portrayed King Herod in the Netflix film Mary, following his appearances as Sir Nicholas Winton in One Life and Sigmund Freud in Freud’s Last Session. Hopkins previously won Academy Awards for his performances in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs and 2020’s The Father.
