Composed by Camille St. Saens at the end of the 19th century, this music piece is part of the unique and humorous chamber music work "The Carnival of Animals" which is a kind of a joke parade of animal sounds and colours, with each of the 14 movements representing an animal.
The music, composed for a cello accompanied by piano, expresses the elegant and beautiful movements of the swan. Imagine a swan drifting in the lake water, creating ripples as it swims, feeding the water with life. This music gives you a feeling of beauty and calmness but also a sense of longing. It is also the only movement from the "Carnival of Animals" that the artist allowed to be played publicly during his life, as he was afraid that the other movements would ruin his image because of their comic and lighthearted character.