Anthony Hopkins, 88, Releases Classical Album: "I Often Find Myself Asking What Life and Death Are"

[Financial News] Anthony Hopkins, 88 and nearing 90, looked back on his life and spoke of "farewell." "At this age, I often find myself asking what life and death are. To me, it all seems like one long farewell."
In a recent written interview with Financial News, Hopkins described his classical album Life Is a Dream, released in August, as "a love letter to life." From birth until death, we continually bid farewell to something, but he does not view that passage of time solely through the lens of sadness.
"Most of the pieces on the album reflect those thoughts. I do not want them to sound sad or depressing. I hope you will embrace beautifully the gift of life and the great farewell that follows it."
Hopkins made his screen debut in 1968 with The Lion in Winter and has portrayed a wide range of characters, from the chilling Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs to the emotionally restrained butler in The Remains of the Day and the elderly man losing his memory in The Father. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Actor, for The Silence of the Lambs and The Father.
For Hopkins, who has made his mark as an actor throughout his life, music is not a pursuit he took up only after achieving success on screen. He began playing the piano at age four and has composed music throughout his life. The album features 12 works he created over more than 60 years. They were performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel.
"Every morning when I wake up, I think, 'How am I still here?' Hearing the Philharmonia Orchestra perform my music under Dudamel's direction is a dream I never imagined." Regarding Dudamel, the world-class conductor who became the music and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic, he expressed his gratitude, saying that Dudamel "imbued every note with deep meaning."

His musical inspiration came from childhood memories and his family. Hopkins said, "My memories of my childhood in Wales with my parents are remarkably vivid," adding, "Those memories inspired some of the pieces." The album includes Bracken Road, which evokes the landscapes of his hometown, and My Fatherland, dedicated to Wales, as well as pieces written for his wife and a niece or nephew.
He said that images first arise in his mind when he writes music. "I think my mind is made to think in images. Those images often bring memories back to me. I believe that is where inspiration begins."
He added that although it is difficult to explain the creative process in words, he draws inspiration from musicians such as Edward Elgar when composing and from Pablo Picasso when painting.
Hopkins, who still improvises new pieces at the piano, said, "I would like to develop these pieces into orchestral music."
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