Music Tuesday: “And the Waltz Goes On” by Sir Anthony Hopkins

Yes, don’t pause too long over the composer’s name.  It’s thee Sir Anthony Hopkins of Hannibal Lector and other acting roles fame.  Apparently this has been going viral across the internet.  Unlike Ebola, this virus is harmless, and perhaps even entertaining.   This is the note I got in my email.

A famous actor wrote a waltz as a young musician, but had never heard it played by an orchestra.

He went into acting, became a famous movie star and gave up on the music end of his talents.

As you will hear, that is a real shame, cause after you have heard the music (almost Liszt, Dvorak

and of Brahms – Slavonic in style), you will agree that this very high quality composing!

This is not Andre Rieu embellished music! This is the real thing!!
This video shows him hearing it being played for the first time.

That is a lovely piece.  Waltzes are quite charming.  I had no idea Hopkins was a composer.  According to this little biographical note he’s even released a classical album of his compositions.  

In spite of following an acting career, Sir Anthony Hopkins' first love was for classical music. However it wasn’t until 2012 when he finally realised his dream by releasing his first classical album, ‘Composer’.

I have to say I love Hopkins as a person.  There’s something genuine about him.  I remember seeing him interviewed by Charlie Rose on PBS where Rose—Liberal that he is, and I don’t usually watch Charlie Rose but I must have scanned through and caught Hopkins—was surprised to find out that Hopkins believed in God, and not just a deistic God, but a personal God.  Imagine.  The shock.  There was even a bit of ridicule in Rose’s tone, which really surprised me because he seemed to go over the top.  But Hopkins stuck to what he believed and said so.  God bless him.

However, the note I got in my email was not quite accurate.  Here’s an interview where Hopkins says he composed the music but Andre Rieu did arrange it.  So it’s not all Hopkins.