Two of the lead actors from Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman, are each set to release their own musical projects on the Decca label next month. Hopkins has signed to Decca Classics as a composer and will release Life Is A Dream on 21 August, while Freeman's 12-song collection Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience is due out on 7 August. The dual announcements mark notable musical debuts for the two Oscar-winning actors.

Hopkins's decade-spanning work, inspired by his family, Wales and a lifetime of experience, is performed by Grammy-winning conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra, with the first single "Bracken Road" from his 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra released today. Freeman's project, which he narrated and produced, was announced on Juneteenth with the single "Death Letter Blues" and features blues artists including Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell and Shemekia Copeland, plus regular players from his Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, which he opened 25 years ago. The article notes the pair share a "cosmic string", having both been born six months apart in 1937.