Saturday 14 March 2015

FALLAS 13/03/2015 – PRIMERA DE ABONO

The view from the sofa, my thoughts on corridas I have watched on TV.

Fuente Ymbro Bulls for Juan Bautista, Jímenez Fortes & Jesus Duque. 

The Fuente Ymbro bulls were the main attraction of the afternoon. The three matadors are firmly in the middle tier and fail to stir expectation. Juan Bautista has had a dignified career peppered with notable performances, but in light of the young toreros that have been left out this feria he was an unnecessary inclusion. Fortes has stagnated as a torero with valour but a precarious technique, however he is young, and therefore the most welcome addition to the bull. Jesus Duque took the alternative last Fallas, cut two ears and then did little for the rest of the temporada until he cut two ears once again in the Valencia October feria. Given the double triumph, and my conviction that triumphs should lead to more contracts (an obvious idea that the mundillo does not always apply), his appearance in the feria is entirely justified. However, on a personal level, my limited previous viewings of this toreo had not filled me with the wish of wanting to see him again. While this may seem like an overly grouchy opening paragraph, the Valencian public seemed to agree given the small attendance. Rant over, and aficionado hat placed firmly, I sat before the TV ready and willing to assess he performance of three toreros who we infrequently meet on a cartel facing a string of bulls from an attractive ranch.

The first bull was weak, but, if taken at mid height, would repetitively charge with class. Bautista understood this, beginning with two clean series of derechazos. The one pass in which Bautista lowered the hand the bull fell, thus confirming his technical approach. The bull charged with more vigour on the left side and Bautista’s toreo al natural therefore enjoyed greater intensity. However, although clean and correct, the faena came across as too rapid and bland, it lacked a series of emphatic passes to give it some character. Besides, despite its initial weakness, the bull maintained its mobile, classy and jovial charge throughout the faena, it even accepted lower passes more readily as the tercio de muleta progressed. The highlight of Bautista’s performance was an excellent estocada, going in straight and strong; it was perhaps the only truly emotive moment of the faena and the chief reason why the crowd petitioned for an ear. Given the lacklustre faena I would not have asked for an ear, but, rulebook in hand, the petitioners seemed to be in the majority.  

Fortes’ opening veronicas to the second bull were excellent, the bull charged emotively and with class, and Fortes accompanied the charge with his well-timed cape. Fortes recognised the bull’s class and opened the faena toreando al natural in the centre of the ring, he cited the bull from distance for the first two series, taking it long during the first few passes of the series, the slowing his toreo and adding an emotive element for the final passes of the series. The faena followed the same pattern for the next two series, on the right hand, although it lost some intensity. The bull maintained its class and sweetness throughout the faena, with an edge more casta it would have been a complete bull. It was encouraging to see Fortes being able to perform slow, well timed toreo to a classy bull, I still had the impression that reckless valour is still more in keeping with his concept of toreo. As it was, despite some beautifully executed passes, especially some accessorial toreo a pies juntos, the faena had too many inconsistencies to be entirely satisfactory. Nevertheless, the crowd once again petitioned for an ear, which might have been deserved had he not necessitated a descabello to follow the estocada and was ultimately not granted by the president. 

The third bull was undefined during the first two tercios, it was mobile and strong, but lacked focus and displayed a marked querencia towards the boards. Duque took advantage of the mobility during an attractive opening three series on the right hand, he took the bull long and low, ensuring that he readjusted his footing correctly between each derechazo. However, a touch of repose was missing in order to make the toreo truly emotive. This was another good bull, different to its predecessors, but its mobility and nerve made it interesting for the aficionado. Its principal failing was that the edge of nerve only lasted three series before being overcome by its manso condition. As this nervy mansedumbre came to the fore, Duque lost control of the bull and the faena, for all its early promise, dissipated. 

Bautista opened his performance to the fourth bull with a larga cambiada on his knees. However, the capote highlight of the lidia was a dramatic, but cooly executed quite by chicuelinas from Jímenez Fortes, he brought the bull very close, but was entirely in control. This bull was, like its brothers, another intriguing proposition, with a mobile and repetitive charge that allowed for toreo. Bautista clearly also liked the bull, dedicating it to the crowd and opening the faena with emotive, controlled and well linked doblones. However, although it had the mobility to support a string of series en redondo, it lost an edge of vigour with each consecutive series. Bautista’s toreo was again clean, but cold – he had the technique to extract passes as the bull became ever more reticent to charge, but the faena lacked emotion.  

Fortes once again shone in the quite to the fifth bull: citing the bull from a distance in order to perform closely worked gaoneras that showcased the dramatic element of his toreo. Fortes began this second faena in a similar vein to his first. In the centre of the ring, giving the bull distance and toreando en redondo without any test passes. The bull was strong, but somewhat reticent to charge. When it charged well during the opening gambits of the faena Fortes was able to torear long and slow. As it stopped, Fortes displayed firmness and valour to stand his ground and extract the odd pass from it. This was not a pretty or attractive faena, but Fortes was able to display his valour and work close to the bull, concluding with a startling arrimón. The closing manoletinas were exciting because of their closeness and, along with an effective estocada, were one of the reasons why Fortes was able to cut the afernoon’s only ear. 

The final bull was mobile but complicated; it moved a great deal, but lacked class and bravura. The emotion it conveyed was based on danger rather than emotion. Despite his efforts Duque, as is understandable for a torero of his experience, was unable to channel or control the bull. The faena’s only moment of note was the spectacular tossing suffered by poor Duque. Desperate to try and extract something meaningful from the bull (in order to secure his next contract), Jesús spent too long in front of the bull. He killed with an estocada caida putting an end to a disappointing corrida.

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