Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Anthony Hopkins is a famous actor. He is 88 years old and has won two Oscars.
Now Hopkins has a new job. He is a composer. A composer writes music.
His first song is called 'Bracken Road.' It comes from his childhood town in Wales.
Hopkins wrote a full album called 'Life Is a Dream.' It comes out on August 21.
- actor
- a person who performs in plays, movies, or TV shows
- composer
- a person who writes music
- childhood
- the time in a person's life when they are a child
- album
- a collection of songs released together
- orchestra
- a large group of musicians who play instruments together
- record label
- a company that produces and sells music
- single
- one song released by itself, often before a full album
- inspired
- given an idea or feeling that leads to creating something
Level 2 — Elementary
Two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins is starting a new chapter in his long career. At 88 years old, he has signed with the classical music label Decca Classics and released his first single as a composer.
The song, called 'Bracken Road,' was inspired by Hopkins's boyhood in Margam, a town in Wales. It is part of a larger collection of orchestral pieces he has written over more than sixty years.
The full album, titled 'Life Is a Dream,' was recorded in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra and pianist Sergio Tiempo. It will be released on August 21.
Hopkins has played piano since he was four years old and began performing pieces by Beethoven and Chopin not long after. As a teenager, he even composed music for plays at his school.
- chapter
- a distinct period or stage in someone's life or career
- classical
- relating to traditional, formal styles of music
- boyhood
- the time of a man's life when he was a boy
- collection
- a group of similar things gathered together
- orchestral
- written for or performed by an orchestra
- pianist
- a person who plays the piano
- perform
- to present a piece of music or art in front of others
- compose
- to create a piece of music
Level 3 — Intermediate
Anthony Hopkins, the 88-year-old two-time Academy Award winner, is embarking on an unexpected new chapter in his career after signing a recording contract with the classical label Decca Classics and releasing his debut single as a composer.
The single, 'Bracken Road,' draws on Hopkins's boyhood in the Welsh town of Margam and forms part of a broader body of orchestral work he has written across more than six decades. It serves as the lead track from his forthcoming album, 'Life Is a Dream,' recorded in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra and pianist Sergio Tiempo.
The album, due for release on August 21, follows Hopkins's live composing debut last year, when a 'Life Is a Dream' concert was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Saudi Arabia, offering audiences an early glimpse of the material now reaching wider release.
Hopkins's musical instincts trace back to early childhood; he began playing piano at age four and was performing works by Beethoven and Chopin within just a few years, later composing music for school theatrical productions as a teenager, decades before pursuing acting as a full-time career.
- embark
- to begin a new course of action or venture
- recording contract
- a legal agreement between a musician and a record label
- draw on
- to use something as a source of material or inspiration
- body of work
- the total output of an artist's creative efforts over time
- forthcoming
- about to happen or be released soon
- glimpse
- a brief or partial view of something
- instinct
- a natural or inborn tendency or ability
- theatrical
- relating to plays or the theater
Level 4 — Advanced
Anthony Hopkins, the 88-year-old two-time Academy Award laureate, is embarking on an improbable late-career pivot after signing a recording contract with the classical imprint Decca Classics and unveiling his debut single as a composer.
The single, 'Bracken Road,' draws on Hopkins's boyhood in the Welsh town of Margam and constitutes one entry in a substantial body of orchestral work assembled across more than six decades. It serves as the lead track from his forthcoming album, 'Life Is a Dream,' recorded in London with the Philharmonia Orchestra alongside pianist Sergio Tiempo.
The album, slated for release on August 21, follows Hopkins's live composing debut the previous year, when a 'Life Is a Dream' concert was staged by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Saudi Arabia, affording audiences an early glimpse of material only now reaching wider commercial release.
Hopkins's musical instincts trace back to early childhood: he began playing piano at age four, was performing works by Beethoven and Chopin within just a few years, and went on to compose music for school theatrical productions as a teenager, decades before he committed himself to acting as a full-time vocation.
- laureate
- a person honored with a prestigious award for outstanding achievement
- improbable
- not likely to be true or to happen
- pivot
- a significant change in direction or approach
- imprint
- a brand name under which a publisher or label releases material
- unveil
- to reveal or make publicly known for the first time
- constitute
- to be a component or part of a whole
- afford
- to provide or make available
- vocation
- a person's main occupation or calling
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