Violinist Andre Rieu has won the Classic Brit award for Album of the Year, with help from an Oscar-winning knight. Sir Anthony Hopkins wrote And the Waltz Goes On, the title track from Rieu’s winning album. The violinist and conductor dedicated his Classic Brit prize to Hopkins, calling him “the greatest actor we have now on this planet”.

But the 80-year-old star of Silence of the Lambs and a host of other films says he was just there by happy accident.

Other winners at last night’s annual celebration of classical music in Britain included the Military Wives, spouses of British armed forces personnel. Their Christmas recording of Wherever You Are was voted Best Single.

Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti won the award for top female artist, while the best male artist award went to Vasily Petrenko, Russian conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.