The view from the sofa, my thoughts on corridas I have watched on TV.
Cebada Gago bulls for Paulita, Manuel Escribano & Victor Barrio
Paulita’s first Cebada was an underwhelming specimen that lacked the power and casta to excite. Faced with this sub-standard material, there was little that Pauita could do. He managed a well-earned series of linked derechazos at the end of the faena. Nevertheless, this was a performance that could be forgotten as soon as it finished.
His second bull was also dull and lacked class. Paulita was lost in a mire of unstructured flaps that passed for a faena – the bull was rubbish and Paulita lacked the wherewithal to dominate the scene. His sword thrust was delantero and effective.
Escribano engaged the crowd with a larga cambiada in the tercio as soon as the second bull entered the arena. He continued on his feet with some slow veronicas to a bull that already hinted at a bland condition that the rigours of the lidia would only exacerbate. Escribano’s taurine philosophy is lidia total, he seeks to intervene at create spectacle during each third. Therefore, notwithstanding the bull’s form he performed a quite by chicuelinas that was smooth but lacked emotion. His intervention with the banderillas was very welcome, I would particularly highlight a purely executed second par squared between the horns and the spectacular quiebro by the board to close the tercio. Although bland, the bull reached the tercio de muleta with sufficient mobility to allow Escribano to give a sober performance en redondo, peppered with a variety of three in one passes and manoletinas that kept the crowd entertained. This was by no means a vintage performance, merely an entirely professional outing where a torero that was sure of himself and his craft extracted worthy toreo from a bull whose quality left much to be desired. Escribano’s sure sword thrust was the final staging post to a deserved ear.
He again sought to impose his spectacular brand of toreo on the fifth bull and began with another larga cambiada on his knees, this time was a porta gayola, but the bull went straight for the torero and as Escribano ducked and it jumped over him. Once on his feet, the slow and low veronicas were a welcome surprise and the media was to savour. It was an emotive opening that was made possible by the bull’s vibrant entrance. Once again Escribano took the banderillas to deliver a varied but inconsistent tercio de banderillas. The bull displayed greater class and willingness to charge than its brothers which Escibano was able to mould into some clean series en redondo. However as the animal lacked an edge of vigour and the impetus to repeat successive charges the faena lacked the rhythm that would have brought it to life. Escribano also over extended the length of the faena, the typical failing of many a twenty-first century performance. It is ironic that Escribano was able to construct a more attractive faena from his seemingly inferior first bull… A very swift sword thrust gave way to a petition for an ear that was not granted and, to my mind, would have been unwarranted.
The star of the afternoon was Victor Barrio who took home three ears from the best lot of bulls. Barrio also opted for an opening a porta gayola, meeting his first bull in the centre of the ring with a series of tafalleras and chicuelinas, capped with a recorte after he lost his cape. Although a striking start, from a technical perspective, it lacked the dominance that a torero should strive for. However, not to come across too downbeat; the crowd was hooked and it was certainly the emotive highlight of the corrida thus far. Although the bull bland and disinterested, keeping its head up throughout the lidia, it had just enough mobility to provide Barrio some material with which to sculpt a promising faena. The young torero showed a firmness and determination to extract each charge from a reticent bull; he would not accept defeat and stood his ground to ensure that the bull repeated its charges. On this technical foundation, he performed solid series en redondo with either hand. His work was worth an ear, but above all, I would highlight his decisive attitude and technical aptitude to perform a worthwhile faena to an average bull.
Barrio opening gambit to his final bull was also a porta gayola; the bull initially ignored Barrio, who was kneeing just outside of the pic lines, but the torero stood (knelt?) his ground and when he attracted the bull to his jurisdiction performed four admirably clean faroles and, once on his feet, a low, slow and emphatic media veronica a pies juntos. An excellent piece of toreo. Barrio’s brilliant performance with the capote continued by way of a clean and varied intervention at quites; the two crinolinas, two gaoneras and a brionesa were delivered with refreshing sobriety and once again brought the crowd to its feet. The bull was noble, classy and blessed with an emotive gallop; my enthusiasm for it was tempered by an impression that it might lack the strength to sustain a complete faena. The opening couple of series were muddied. Barrio started the faena on his knees but soon realised that he needed to get to his feet, thus stunting the momentum of the series, while his second attempt at toreo was sullied by a desarme. The faena began to take shape from the third series, Barrio once again impressed by the firm attitude of his toreo en redondo and his ability to seamlessly link emotive passes with either hand. The fourth such series was exceptional; he cited the bull from a distance and executed five low, slow passes, controlling the bull though the series. The good toreo continued to flow with two equally dominating series, one with each hand, the second concluding with an excellent, long cambio de mano. The faena was completed with a statuesque series of bernadinas and the bull was squared for the estocada. However, a section of the crowd began petitioning for an entirely unjustified indulto (the bull was probably not even quite worth the vuelta it was ultimately granted). Barrio doubted for a minute and gave a further series of naturales which had the undesirable effect of increasing the petition (although the series itself was good); thankfully Barrio saw sense and immediately after the naturales executed a full sword thrust that ensured he was awarded two thoroughly deserved ears.
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