The Swan (Le Cygne) for Cello and PianoFrom Carnival of the Animals Soon after its composition in 1886, Camille Saint Saens asked Auguste Durand that Le Carnaval des Animaux, which he thought of as a parodic fantasia, should only appear in print posthumously. He probably believed that this entertainment would tarnish the seriousness of the rest of his oeuvre. The Carnival was therefore published in February 1922, two months after the composer's death. Nevertheless the composer contravened