Sept Papillons (French for "Seven Butterflies") is a piece for solo cello by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.
Sept Papillons was the first piece that Saariaho wrote after completing her opera L'Amour de loin.
She stated that in writing it, she wanted to depart from the musical world of L'Amour de loin to move "to a metaphor of the ephemeral: butterfly".
[1][2] Sept Papillons was commissioned by the Rudolf Steiner Foundation, and was premiered by Anssi Karttunen in Helsinki, Finland, on 10 September 2000.
[4] The piece has been praised for its use of extended techniques for the cello, such as harmonics, variable bow pressure, and sul ponticello.