The musical butterfly effect
The metamorphosis of a butterfly is an image that has long been used in literature to symbolize transformation, development, and the overcoming of boundaries. For French-Egyptian violist Sindy Mohamed, this symbol is more than just a poetic metaphor—it describes her own artistic career and the creation of her first album, which she aptly named “Farasha”—the Arabic word for butterfly. This extraordinary debut will be released on August 29, 2025, by Berlin Classics and documents an artistic journey marked by cultural diversity, musical curiosity, and personal development.
Born and raised in France, Sindy Mohamed was influenced from an early age by her mother’s Arabic music and famous Egyptian film melodies. “Everything at home was Arabic,” she recalls. The shifts between languages, between Arabic and French, are now also reflected in her musical expressiveness. She received her classical training at renowned conservatories in France and Germany – a Western-influenced world in which she positions herself between cultures with the viola as her instrument.
The repertoire of her debut album reflects this complexity. With Pierre de Brévilles rarely performed sonata for viola and piano, Sindy Mohamed opens up a lyrical soundscape characterized by long, floating melodies reminiscent of late French Romanticism. The sonata is a work that has received little attention to date and which Mohamed interprets with great creative clarity and a sense of structure. This is followed by Paul Hindemith’s Sonata Op. 11 No. 4 – a milestone in viola literature, which, with its mixture of romantic intimacy, technical brilliance, and expressive diversity, draws on the German musical culture that Mohamed consciously wanted to immerse herself in after her time in France.
With Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168, in a transcription for viola by Léa Hennino, the album bridges the gap between the repertoire for woodwind and string instruments. The viola naturally takes on the role of the bassoon here, without the work losing any of its color or depth. In this arrangement, two often underrated instruments meet on equal terms—and Sindy Mohamed lends the sonata a new, warm dimension of sound.
A particular highlight is the collaboration with Egyptian composer Khaled Al Kammar, whose piece “Faten Amal Harby” – originally written for a successful TV series – is performed in a version specially arranged for this album for oud, viola, riq, and piano. The fusion of Western and Arabic soundscapes becomes the emotional highlight of the album. For Sindy Mohamed, the sound of the oud represents home and identity; the musical encounter with Arabic instruments becomes a symbol of her own artistic return to her roots.
The program is rounded off by Felix Mendelssohn’s famous “Spring Song” (Song Without Words, Op. 62 No. 6) in an arrangement for viola and piano by Hermann Ritter. The viola sounds here in an unusually high, almost soprano-like register, revealing a new, magical side to its sound spectrum.
With “Farasha,” Sindy Mohamed traces not only the metamorphosis of her own artistic identity, but also that of the viola itself: from an often underestimated instrument to a versatile, colorful storyteller that effortlessly mediates between cultures, eras, and styles. She is supported by renowned pianist Julien Quentin and outstanding guest musicians such as Wassim Mukdad (oud) and Serdar Saydan (riq).
Sindy Mohamed, winner of international competitions and a sought-after soloist on stages around the world, presents herself on her debut album as a mature artist who puts the viola at the center with intuition, passion, and openness to new perspectives. “It’s a gut album,” she says herself. “Not a head album. What I’ve played here is simply me through and through.” With “Farasha,” she opens her cocoon and spreads her wings—inviting the audience to accompany her on this fascinating flight.
