HISAISHI, JOE

The single-LP vinyl release of Joe Hisaishi’s Castle in the Sky: Symphony Version (also known under its subtitle Taiju or Huge Tree) represents one of the most grandiose and historically significant orchestral adaptations in the entire Studio Ghibli Records catalog. Originally recorded in 1986 to accompany Hayao Miyazaki’s groundbreaking debut film for the studio, this album acts as a massive symphonic expansion of the film's earlier conceptual Image Album. Rather than utilizing the 1980s synthesizers that heavily defined the theatrical cut, Hisaishi hands the reins over to a powerful 60-piece ensemble from the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Katsuaki Nakatani. The resulting record translates the sky-bound scale, adventurous peril, and mythic sorrow of Laputa into a sweeping classical masterpiece.