Mixing high and low, folk and fine art sounds appealing -- bring the energy and empathy of pop culture to the depth and formal beauty of classicism. And Vallenato Sinfonica, the union of popular vallenato act Jorge Celedón and Jimmy Zambrano with a classical ensemble, presented Friday night at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, sounded like a particularly intriguing version of this mix.

It was not, however, a balanced one. With a sold-out Knight Concert Hall packed by a fervent, mostly Colombian audience eager to cheer a favorite star of their national music, pop definitely overpowered classical. People hung over the balconies, danced in the aisles, and often sang along so loudly that you could hardly hear Celedón and Zambrano's band, much less the orchestra. Roll over Apollo, there's a hoedown at the symphony!

But hoedowns are fun. Vallenato, the Colombian folk style that Carlos Vives first brought to broad popularity in the '90s, is an appealingly effervescent, soulful music. Celedon has a plaintive, powerful tenor, and he was engaging and likeable, beaming with excitement, constantly stooping down without missing a note to pose with fans who pressed up against the stage for photos. Zambrano, the accordionist, initially seemed a little inhibited by his surroundings, but he soon overcame that -- and he's a stellar musician in his own right, ripping off solos that crackled with speed and resonance.

The band, too -- with guitar, bass, keyboards, drum set, and a variety of small percussion, seemed slightly stiff at first, then lit up as the crowd caught fire. They and vallenato were front and center, physically and musically. The orchestra, made up of members of the Bogota Philharmonic and the Miami Symphony and conducted by Luis Galindo, sat behind them, and only played on about half the songs. When it did, it functioned primarily as a pop string section, playing the soaring to syrupy filler you hear on some pop recordings. Two trumpet and two trombone players functioned more as a Latin horn section than an orchestral brass section, at one point stepping up for some gorgeous, salsa-style solos.

Anyone looking for a sophisticated compositional union here would have been disappointed. There were moments when the two merged, when the orchestra's sonic richness filled out the band's harder sound. But the real power of the evening came from the closeness between audience and musicians, and their mutual exhilaration at being in such exalted quarters. Vallenato is a quintessentially Colombian music, and a source of intense national pride. When Celedón and Zambrano closed with Esta Vida, their hit that's a love song to Colombia, the audience roared along with enough passion for Beethoven's Ode to Joy. It wasn't classical, but it was plenty moving.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@