14/03/14 Jandilla & Vegahermosa Toros – El Cid, Manuel Escribano & Iván Fandiño
This
cartel congregated a curious blend of toreros. El Cid, a serious veteran, and Iván Fandiño, a serious rising star,
both share the same taurine aesthetic tradition, although they belong to
different generations. Manuel Escribano, meanwhile, is an entirely different
type of torero, a varied and spectacular torero, he bases his tauromaquia on
displays of valour, delivered with a smile. His is taurine bravery’s cheerful face,
a young Juan José Padilla if you will.
The lidia
to El Cid’s first bull was a virtual
non-entity. The bull displayed symptoms of difficulty in the first two tercios.
However, it possessed a certain nerve in its charge that allowed El Cid to execute a couple of very clean and well-timed series en
redondo with the right hand, each capped with an admirable chest pass. That was
it though. By the third series it once again showed its problems, heading for
the man rather than the lure, and the fourth series was impossible as, by this
point, it had become completely rajado.
Bravery’s
cheerful face headed to the puerta de chiqueros to receive the afternoon’s second
bull. He welcomed it into the arena with a larga cambiada de rodillas and some
well executed veronicas, concluded with a very slow media on his knees.
Escribano’s interventions with the capote continued into the pics tercio, with
a jovial galleo by chcuelinas and a colourful (although not altogether clean)
quite by saltilleras. Fandiño also contributed to the spectacle with a good
quite by tafalleras. The merriment was maintained during the tercio de
banderillas (the highlight of which was a quiebro close to the boards) and
continued into the muleta with Escribano commencing the faena on his knees in
the centre of the ring. The kneeling derechazos were well timed, and got the
crowd on its feet. The fundamental toreo that followed was pleasing, and
executed with a slowness and timing that one might not readily associate with a
cheery tremendista. As the bull’s charge lost vigour, Escribano resorted to
circulares, and the faena concluded with a series of manoletinas. A
well-executed estocada yielded an ear. It had been a complete performance from
Escribano, he kept the crowd’s attention throughout, from the opening larga
cambiada, through the quites and banderillas, concluding with the faena de
muleta and estocada – it was lidia total, Paquirri
would have been proud.
Fandiño
greeted his first bull with some veronicas on his knees, these served to focus
the public’s attention, but the really moving part of his recibo was once he
got on his feet and performed a set of low, slow and profound veronicas.
Something similar happened at the beginning of his faena de muelta, the opening
estatuarios were good, but not moving. Fandiño noted this and completed the
introductory portion of the fanea with trincherazos and passes del desdén;
these were moving and profound. The
faena itself was an excellent example of fundamental toreo with both left and
right hands. Relaxed derechazos were interspersed with silky naturales; each
pass characterised by the length, low execution and good timing. The Jandilla
was a very good bull, which had the good fortune of meeting a very good torero.
A pinchazo preceded an excellent estocada, the crowd petitioned for an ear that
was duly granted; the pinchazo might have prevented him cutting a second.
The
fourth bull was marked by the dramatic voltereta suffered by El Cid as he performed al natural, the
bull had El Cid at his mercy, but the
torero from Salteras miraculously escaped unscathed. Before that, El Cid commenced his faena like in his
best years, citing the bull from the boards in the centre of the ring, and
beginning toreo en redondo without any preparation. The first two series of
derechazos were good, cleanly executed, but perhaps a fraction fast. However, unfortunately
for El Cid, this bull, like his
first, only lasted two series. Its once long charge had shortened markedly and
any toreo was impossible. After the tossing, El Cid tried an arrimón, if only to show his dominance over the
bull. It had been a serious performance from a serious torero. Despite the
pincahzo, the generous Valencia crowd petitioned for an ear that was not granted,
notwithstanding El Cid gave a hard
earned vuelta al ruedo. I would also like to note Alcalareño’s excellent tercio
de banderillas, I always enjoy this banderillero’s powerful, rangy style, and
it was pleasing to see him invited to saludar after his performance.
Escribano
once again headed to the puerta de chiqueros for the fifth bull and gave a
clean, but sterile, larga cambiada de rodillas, which was followed by slow
veronicas – it was good to see Escribano torear slowly when the circumstances
demanded it. Fandiño performed another quite by tafalleras, wherein the bull
showed a tendency to cut in towards the torero’s body. Escribano’s banderillas
were executed with ease, but, aside from the violin al quiebro to close, lacked
an edge of emotion. By the muleta, the bull’s charge had lost all vitality, and
despite Escribano’s desire, there was no possibility for a faena of note. My
only criticism would be that it was clear from an early stage that the bull had
lost its charge, the faena was needlessly
extended.
The lidia
to the sixth bull was conducted to thesound of a jeering protesting the bull’s
presence (it was the sobrero, the title bull having been rejected because of
weak legs). The crowd was no doubt sensing the anticlimactic nature of an
afternoon that, at the half way point, promised a great deal. Fandiño’s
dedication to the crowd received a mixed reaction, but a spectacular
commencement by several consecutive passes cambiados managed to get everyone on
board for the faena. The opening series en redondo were marvellous, long and
well-timed derechazos that transmitted emotion partly because of their
execution, and partly because of the bull’s vigorous charge. As the vitality of
the bull’s charge declined so did the intensity of the toreo en redondo,
although there was still time for a wonderful trincherazo with the left hand.
The molinetes to finish were more exciting than profound, while a concert of
pinchazos to kill the bull prevented Fandiño from receiving another ear (which,
in any event, would have been less merited than the other two cut this
afternoon).
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