Anthony Hopkins isn’t just an Oscar-winning actor: he’s been composing music in addition to his acting roles for decades. The “Silence of the Lambs” actor has signed with Decca Classics for a new recording project spanning more than six decades of original compositions.

Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra, their album “Life Is a Dream” will be released on August 21. The first single, “Bracken Road,” from Hopkin’s “1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra,” was released Friday. “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,” Decca said.

Hopkins, 88, has been playing piano since he was 4; He began performing Beethoven and Chopin a few years later and composed music for local works as a teenager, the label said.

“Music was my first desire, my first wish,” Hopkins said in a statement. “I’ve been composing music my whole life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still come back to them.”

Other pieces on the album include “My Fatherland”, inspired by traditional Welsh melodies, and compositions inspired by cinema, his wife and his niece. Hopkins, a self-taught songwriter, received a Classic Brit Award in 2012 for Album of the Year for his contribution to “And the Waltz Goes On.” He made his live musical debut in Saudi Arabia in 2025 with the “Life Is a Dream” concert performed by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Signing with Decca is the honor of my life,” said Hopkins, “It has been a true privilege to collaborate with the distinguished Philharmonic Orchestra and the virtuoso soloists, cellist Gregorio Nieto and classical pianist Sergio Tiempo. My deepest gratitude and respect goes to Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, whose art is an integral part of this musical journey. With the elegant precision of his baton, he transformed each note with a deep and indelible meaning, creating a painterly landscape that invites the listener to feel and imagine something uniquely personal.”

Dudamel said: “Sir Anthony Hopkins is one of those rare artists whose creative voice transcends any 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 songwriting, 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 along with my friends Gregorio Nieto, Sergio Tiempo and the Philharmonic Orchestra, and help bring to life the musical voice of an artist whose creativity knows no borders.”

Laura Monks, President of Decca, said: “It is a great privilege to have the great Sir Anthony Hopkins join Decca Classics. His deep talent and knowledge of classical music, honed over a lifetime, is a pleasure to celebrate with this new album. Hearing his incredible compositions come to life in recording sessions in London with Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonic Orchestra was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we are excited to bring to the world.”