Camille Saint-Saëns: Le Cygne (The Swan)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921): Le cygne (1886)

Henrik Dam Thomsen - Cello
Ulrich Stærk - Piano

Director: Anders Ladegaard
Cinematographer: Krister Stub Jørgensen
Edit: Jacob Brasch
Animation and grading: Anders Ladegaard
Producer: Mette Søndergaard

The water shines like gold in the sun. Peace and tranquility. The white swan (“le cygne”) glides majestically along, its head raised. Beauty in its purest form. No wonder Saint-Saëns’ Le cygne has become a signature work in the cello repertoire.

The movement is a lyrical gem from Saint-Saëns’s otherwise so cheerful suite, The Carnival of the Animals, which the composer wrote to divert himself a bit and rekindle his joy in music in the wake of a disastrous concert tour. The Carnival was intended as a musical jest. Saint-Saëns refused to publish it before his death. Soon afterward, it became his best loved work. Not least because of The Swan, which quickly became available in a sea of transcriptions and was used as both ballet and film music.

The musical intention is clear. The dainty piano accompaniment emulates the gentle ripples on the surface of the lake and the swan’s feet, unseen below, propelling the big bird forward. The cello is the swan elegantly gliding through the water.