** 2026 Stock ** Composed in 1992 for Hayao Miyazaki’s film of the same name, Porco Rosso is one of Joe Hisaishi’s most charming and subtly sophisticated scores. Set between the World Wars over a lovingly idealised Adriatic, the film follows a former Italian fighter ace cursed into the form of an anthropomorphic pig and working as a freelance bounty hunter, caught between air pirates, fascist encroachment and the pull of old loves. Hisaishi’s music doesn’t simply underline this premise; it builds an entire parallel world of sound, drawing on Italian song, early‑20th‑century dance music, chanson and his own trademark melodic sense to give Porco’s skies, seaplanes and cafés their emotional weather.
There are two closely related albums: the Image Album, derived from Miyazaki’s original manga “Hikōtei Jidai” and early concept notes, and the full Original Soundtrack created once the film was in production. The Image Album, first released in May 1992 and recently remastered for vinyl, contains ten tracks that sketch an “Italy at the end of the 1920s,” with themes and moods that would later be elaborated in the score. The Original Soundtrack, released in July 1992, runs to around 20–23 cues depending on edition, and was recorded with a 70‑piece orchestra, reflecting Hisaishi’s commitment to a richly acoustic sound. New vinyl pressings feature fresh mastering and artwork, OBI and inserts, underlining how central this music has become in the Studio Ghibli catalogue.
Musically, Porco Rosso is a tapestry of distinct but interlocking motifs. “The Wind of Ages – When a Human Can Be a Human” sets the tone with a wistful, soaring theme that captures both flight and regret in under three minutes. Pieces like “MAMMA AIUTO,” “Flying Boatmen” and “Dog Fight” bring out the swashbuckling side of the story with brisk rhythms and bright brass, while “Bygone Days,” “A Picture in Sepia” and “In Search of the Distant Era” lean into nostalgia, using strings, piano and woodwinds to evoke faded photographs and memories half‑recovered. “Serbian March” and other cues nod toward the period’s political tensions, hinting at martial colours without overwhelming the film’s fundamentally humane tone.
A key element is Hisaishi’s integration of songs. The theme “The Time of the Cherries” (originally “Le Temps des cerises,” by Antoine Renard) and the ending song “Once in a While, Let’s Talk About the Old Days” are both sung in the film and on the soundtrack by Tokiko Kato, their bittersweet melodies anchoring Porco’s personal history to a broader European chanson tradition. Their inclusion deepens the sense that this is a world with its own popular culture and emotional repertoire, not just a backdrop for adventure. Other standout cues, such as “Madness – Flight” (also known as “Kyouki ~ Hishou,” later featured on Hisaishi’s album My Lost City), showcase his flair for complex, propulsive writing that can still function as concert music in its own right.
Across both Image Album and Soundtrack, Hisaishi manages a delicate balance: paying homage to European idioms while remaining unmistakably himself. The harmonic turns, the way themes recur in altered orchestration, the interplay between piano and strings, all bear his fingerprint. Yet the palette – café waltzes, quasi‑tangos, marches and aerial fanfares – is tailored precisely to Miyazaki’s vision of 1920s Italy seen through a Japanese lens. New vinyl editions from labels such as Studio Ghibli Records and various importers emphasise this duality, pairing beautifully reproduced artwork with dynamic, detailed remasters that do justice to the original 70‑piece orchestral recordings.
Three decades on, Porco Rosso stands as one of Hisaishi’s most complete film worlds in miniature: a score that can be enjoyed front‑to‑back without images, yet instantly conjures seaplanes skimming over a sunlit sea, smoky bars, and a hero who has chosen cynicism as armour but can’t quite suppress his heart. It’s a reminder of how, at his best, Hisaishi doesn’t just accompany Miyazaki’s stories – he gives them a second life in sound.
