Anthony Hopkins, 88, Launches a Second Act as a Classical Composer

What does a two-time Oscar winner do after conquering Hollywood? For Anthony Hopkins, the answer is a full-circle return to his first love: music.

At 88, Hopkins has signed a recording contract with Decca Classics, the label confirmed. His debut album, "Life Is a Dream," is set for release on August 21. The first single, "Bracken Road," is already available.

"Music was my first desire, my first wish," Hopkins said in a statement, according to Just Jared and Variety. "I've been composing music all my life. Some of these pieces have lived with me for decades and I still find myself returning to them."

The project compiles orchestral works he has written over more than six decades. According to a press release from Decca, "Bracken Road" is "inspired by childhood memories of Margam, South Wales" and "is a nostalgic musical portrait of the streets, meadows, farmland and mountains that surrounded his family home in the 1940s."

The album features the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, with solo performances by cellist Gregorio Nieto and pianist Sergio Tiempo.

This isn't Hopkins's first foray into music. He's been playing piano since age 4, performed Beethoven and Chopin soon after, and composed for local plays as a teenager, according to Variety.

While the album release is confirmed, the full commercial reception and critical response to this late-career pivot remain to be seen. For now, fans can stream "Bracken Road" and mark their calendars for August 21.