In addition to the piano and ondes martenot parts, Messiaen makes use of a huge orchestral percussion section. Philharmonia Orchestra Principal percussionist David Corkhill takes us through all the instruments in Turangalīla-symphonie and explains Messiaen's percussion writing.
"This is all new.it must have been astonishing [for the audience]. it almost has a pungency about it. extraordinary, quite extraordinary"
Click the diagram below for a closer look at how Messiaen plans the percussion layout for the musicians.
