Alicante 24/06/2015 –Bulls Bohorquez & Cuvillo: Manolo Manzanares, Enrique Ponce and José María Manzanares

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

Fermín Bohorquez rejones bulls for Manuel Manzanares and Nuñez del Cuvillo bulls for Enrique Ponce and José María Manzanares

The first Cuvillo showed early signs of weakness. It would usually be a cause for concern, but, given that it would be treated by Ponce’s medicinal muleta (it cures every bull’s ill), I retained hope that we would experience a meaningful lidia. Happily, and without wanting to sound too boastful, I was correct. Ponce spent the early part of the faena coaxing the bull through each series, giving it mid-height passes, without obliging it during the charge. This superficial, but attractive, tact kept the crowd entertained, even managing to get the music to strike up. More importantly, however, it helped the bull find its feet, thereby allowing for a second part of faena composed of demanding, better linked toreo. The faena was on a continuous upward curve, and concluded with populist, but exciting, circulares. This was a technically impeccable showing, which would ordinarily have been remarkable had we not been used to Ponce regaling us with these faenas for twenty five years. An excellent estocada, with swift effects, was the final piece of the jigsaw to allow Ponce to cut two ears.

Ponce’s lidia to his second bull was founded on a different technical base, but the result was still the same – an excellent faena from the Valencian. Our cuvillo had acceptable condition, but lacked nerve; it came and went with ease, but lacking the ultimate desire to transmit emotion. Ponce was relaxed and able to torear with ease, methodically teasing a long faena from the bull. The series of muletazos, performed with either hand, were smooth, and well linked, increasing in intensity as the faena progressed. The toques were as gentle as possible, adding to the clinical cleanliness of Ponce’s performance. Before the bull knew it, he had swallowed a long faena and Ponce was ready garnish the toreo fundamental with his very personal poncinas - a circular genuflected doblon incorporating a cambio de mano. Poor execution with the sword prevented him from capping his afternoon with another two ears.

Enrique Ponce may be celebrating his twenty sixth season on the circuit, but afternoons like today serve as a reminder that, on his day, he remains a fresh and intriguing torero. I have always enjoyed Ponce, a couple of faenas like today keep me believing that he still can delight us with moving performances.   

If Ponce’s faenas were marked by their variety, Manzanares produced two performances that were facsimiles of each other. While I admire a torero’s consistency if he produces toreo of note on a regular basis, a great part of toreo’s joy lies in improvisation and a matador’s capacity to mould each bull into a truly unique performance. Therefore, while the ease with which Manzanares can produce his faena has its merit, I cannot help but be left increasingly cold by his toreo.

Both faenas were built around the right hand and consisted of very well linked toreo en redondo underscored by José Mari’s emphatic elegance. The remates and cambios de mano were, as always, excellent, smooth and emotive. As per usual, Manzanares’ sure sword was the final ingredient for the two ears. The ease with which José Mari can roll out this faena is admirable and welcome, especially given toreo’s inherent inconsistency. However, his toreo is fundamentally a triumph of style over substance. Let us rewind to the start of Manzanares’ career to help us arrive at the crux of this issue.

After a couple of rocky seasons following his alternativa, José Mari Manzanares began to rise to the top of the escalafón during the 2006 season, his rise was confirmed with an excellent faena in Sevilla during 2007’s historic Feria de Abril. However, there were still a number of fundamental shortcomings in Manzanares’ toreo. His series en redondo were too short and his toreo tended to be slightly rapid - although all of these was overcome by his brilliant remates and imperial elegance. It was not until he solved these two faults that he was able to give us his absolutely historic 2011 campaign – the indulto to Arrojado was a clinic in slow toreo. Unfortunately, it seems that Manzanares has regressed to his pre-2011 style – his series en redondo are terribly short, rarely exceeding four muletazos and his toreo tends to quickness. Manzanares remedies all of this with his remates, these help extend the series without the pressure of toreo en redondo, and are given with emotive and relaxed elegance.   

His elegance and consistency, not to mention his sure sword, will no doubt keep Manzanares in the leading pack of figuras. I hope that he can re-focus his tore so he can once again deliver the high quality toreo he gave us for a couple of seasons at the start of this decade.

Manuel Manzanares opened proceedings. While I enjoy toreo a caballo, I feel underqualified to be able to write a meaningful commentary on it. Suffice to say he cut two ears from a lacklustre Bohorquez lot to join his colleagues on their exit by the Puerta Grande.

Alicante 23/06/2015 –Bulls Daniel Ruíz: Morante de la Puebla, El Juli & Talavante

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

Daniel Ruíz bulls for Morante de la Puebla, El Juli & Alejando Talavante

The corrida opened with a whimper. Morante’s first bull lacked class and strength; the typical bull that we recognise, and exasperate at, as soon as it charges at the lures. Morante’s veronicas were acceptable, greeted with token oles, concluded with a delicate media. Muleta in hand, José Antonio gave the animal a series on either side, which confirmed the bull was not up to much. The public jeered, but I was grateful. I am sick and tired of toreros artificially elongating lidias when it is plain that the bull offers no chance at toreo. We should thank Morante for not wasting our time and stoically accepting a bronca to save exhausting our patience. Today, he even killed well, what more could we want? Oh, yes, a bull that showed even the slightest evidence of its brave heritage would have been nice.

Morante was able to display his creative verve with the fourth bull. The opening capote work was variedly attractive rather than profound, nevertheless, his farol, tijerillas, chicuelinas and serpentina had a wonderful baroque air. With the muleta, José Antonio was focussed on the quality of individual passes, giving them extra length and depth which necessitated him to readjust his footing between each pass. Morante’s performance was a collection of quality passes rather than intense series – he did manage to bookend his work with a very good series at the start and at the end of the faena. The bull was average, it did not have a particularly emotive manner, but it would follow the lowers intently when these were presented correctly. Morante’s faena was intermittent, like his isolated passes, but sufficient to have deserved an ear had his sword work been effective.

The second bull’s entry into the arena was promising, it charged with nerve allowing El Juli to perform a smooth and soft cluster of veronicas. By the muleta third the bull’s charge had further improved into a strong, nervy and emotive mobility – it followed the lures as long as they would take him and did so with desire and a low head. It was the ideal bull for El Juli’s dominant muleta. El Juli stood up to the animal to torear wonderfully with the right hand, linking the bull’s charges precisely into long and deeply moving series. The first three series were excellent, the bull charging with a rarely seen impetus and El Juli able to control its course en redondo at his pleasure (he had mistakenly started by estatuarios during which he was nearly caught by the bull – this was a bull to be dominated, not accompanied). It was natural that the bull’s charge would wane as the faena progressed, but it still retained the commitment to charge and El Juli, in turn, shortened the distance, concluding the faena with a very closely worked arrimón and some luquesinas. Notwithstanding the pinchazo, I would have petitioned for two earsthe crowd, however, only asked for one, which the president duly granted. I was critical of the first bull, it is only fair that I take might hat off to the ganadero for producing a bull as emotive as this second one – I would not have objected at all had it been granted a vuelta al ruedo.

El Juli’s second bull was sweeter than his opener, also possessing the mobility to allow for another excellent faena. Julián was active in quites and gave an open stanced series of lopecinas, rematadas low. El Juli could see that the bull was good, though slightly weak. He therefore began the faena with mid-height derechazos, linked into a number of emotive series – gently and smoothly linked, caressing the bull, giving it the confidence to continue its charge. After this prodding start, Julián felt the confidence to challenge the bull with low naturales; the animal accepted this proposition and El Juli was able to explore and display his low, long concept of toreo. The faena concluded with a long and very closely worked arrimón, completing El Juli’s dominance over proceedings. A very good faena to a completely different bull. The pinchazo was no obstacle to the crowd petitioning for the second ear, but the president only saw fit to grant one.

Talavante began his faena to the third bull with estatuarios. These were pleasingly executed, but the bull charged in fits and starts resting emotion from proceedings. He began toreo en redondo with the left hand, with a long series of naturales. This is one of Talavante’s fortes, he links toreo en redondo wonderfully; he is conscious that a series needs to be long and always seeks to link as many passes as possible. His series of derechazos followed a similar pattern; he liked six redondos, a natural and a chest pass seamlessly – a series that started discreetly increased in emotion as he built pass upon pass. He allied his well-conceived toreo en redondo with his genial, creative remates – a talavantina here, trincherazo there and a pase de las flores to finish. The bull’s charge was inconsistent and lacked class – but Talavante’s fresh toreo kept the crowd’s interest throughout. He finished with manoletinas in the centre of the ring followed by a slow and sure sword thrust, also performed in the centre of the ring, which allowed him to cut an ear.

The sixth bull also gave Alejandro the opportunity to perform a creative and meandering lidia. He took a leaf out of the early El Juli cook book managing a pleasing quite by escobinas. Talavante’s sui generis faena began with a pedresina on his knees in the centre of the ring. The performance that followed was unique. Talavante combining fundamental toreo with his own take on various types of remates, recortes and cambios. He incorporated a series of bernadinas in among his concluding arrimón (rather than as the typical pre-determined encore following the sword change). His estocada was slowly executed and gave him the chance to cut the second ear he needed to join El Juli on shoulders.

Alicante 22/06/2015 –Novillos Fuente Ymbro: Borja Álvarez, Ginés Marín & Varea

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

Fuente Ymbro novillos for Borja Álvarez, Ginés Marín & Varea

I would hazard the guess that Borja Álvarez had been watching San Isidro; no doubt inspired by many a matador at the world’s premier feria, he welcomed the first novillo with a larga cambiada a porta gayola. It is a pity that the frequency of this suerte is reducing its effect on crowds. I can scarcely imagine the valour its takes to wait for a novillo to come into the light from its dark pen while waiting on one’s knees. However, people’s reaction to this lance seems to be a cold, premeditated ole. Borja looked to be involved with the capote throughout the lidia, but his work, although mostly clean (there was the odd enganchón), was cold. The novillo galloped with a jovial manner, it keenly followed the lures and repeated its charges. It was the type of excellent novillo one has come to expect from Fuente Ymbro. Borja was able to build a faena that was well linked, based on toreo en redondo, emotive and exciting. On the plus side, he stood up to the novillo’s strong charges and linked long series en redondo. On the minus, the performance lacked profoundness and he might have passed the novillo closer to him. I did not like the concluding toreo I figure of eight, it was performed with too much distance to the novillo and the novillo’s charges might have been better employed towards toreo en redondo. Ultimately, Álvarez’s faena was below the level of the novillo’s possibilities, but, taking into account his limited experience as a novillero, he at least managed to give a dignified performance. He cut a deserved ear, when another might have cut two.

Borja was varied with the capote with his second novillo, opting for genuflected veronicas and chicuelinas in the saludo, and tafalleras for the quite. The novillo was mobile, but distracted which detracted from Álvarez’s toreo. Borja’s variety and desire to please continued with his muleta work, starting his faena with a farol and circulares on his knees, which nearly cost him a tossing. The novillo was tough. Although mobile and nervy, it did not readily give up its charges and lacked class – underpinning its behaviour was more than an edge of mansedumbre. However, when Álvarez stayed still kept the lure in its face he was able to link emotive toreo en redondo. On this basis, Borja managed a couple of series of naturales and circulares with the right hand. His estocada was emotively executed and although trasera, was effective enough for Álvarez to cut another ear. Borja’s overall performance was solid, full of desire and variety, just what one would ask of a novillero. However, fundamentally, I felt his work lacked the overall control, repose and profoundness that would hold him in good stead as he takes the step to the senior escalafón.  

Ginés Marín also headed to the puerta de chiqueros to greet the second novillo of the afternoon and gave another larga cambiada a porta gayola. Exciting as it was, I preferred the low, deep veronicas he gave once on his feet – Ginés reminding us of his excellent capote. He concluded the recibo with some pyro, another larga cambiada de rodillas. The start of the faena de muleta was excellent; the novillo charged like a freight train, but Marín calmly called it from the boards to the centre of the ring with his left hand. Despite the strength of the novillo’s charge Marín’s work was marked by its calm. The novillo proved nervy, with a depth of class if the Marín could tease it out of him. In order to do so Ginés had to take the novillo long through the pass, if there was an edge of doubt in the muletazo the novillo would prey on this, cut short and seek the man. The faena was slightly inconsistent, though at its best consisted of Ginés passing the novillo long, slow and profoundly through well linked series of muletazos. Marín kept the faena fresh with colourful remates and a concluding series of manoletinas. There would have been at least an ear in it for Ginés had he been surer with the sword.

The fifth novillo was met with slow, low and languid veronicas – a pleasing start. The novillo was distracted, Ginés’ quite was therefore limited to a gentle media. The capote work was not particularly exciting, but Marín showed the ease with which he is able to torear in the early tercios. The novillo was proving to lack class and have a surplus of mansedumbre. Its defects were accentuated when it reached the muleta third and Marín was unable to create a faena. Ginés was in control and managed the odd pass of note, but further work was impossible when faced with such a novillo.

Varea did not opt for the porta gayola. However, his saludo capotero was elegant, controlled and emphatic. Four excellent veronicas, a couple of cheery chicuelinas and an aesthetically pleasing revolera moved the crowd more than an isolated lance a porta gayola could have. José Manuel Montoliú performed a moving tercio de banderillas, evoking his late, great, father with his reposed style. The novillo was another vibrant animal, and Varea’s opening gambit was equally bright, passes naturales and cambiados on his knees. His opponent’s charge, although long and smooth, lacked repetition. Therefore, although the early series en redondo were silky and reposed, they lacked an edge of continuity that would have elevated the faena. As the performance developed Varea was looking to build towards a crescendo in the form of two determinedly linked series which necessitated keeping the lure in the novillo’s face between each pass. He concluded with some delightful doblones, nearly managing a Poncina, but not before he suffered an inconsequential voltereta while trying to torear en redondo. Unfortunately, like Marín, his sword handling was poor. The conviction and clarity he displayed with the capote and muleta was lost as soon as he took the espada. Notwithstanding the pinchazo and bajonazo the crowd petitioned for an ear that the president was bound to concede – although the faena deserved a prize, the sword work did not.  

As the only novillero who had not yet welcomed an animal on his knees, Varea put this right with two opening faroles de rodillas in his recibo capotero to the sixth novillo. However, the truly important and moving part of his recibo were the excellently linked, smooth veronicas he gave once on his feet. Excellent work from the young novillero. The fresh capoteo continued during the quite with an aesthetically pleasing, almost baroque, chicuelina, a genuflected veronica and creative remate. After the previous couple of class-less novillos, Varea could see that this animal offered real possibilities with the muleta and dedicated the faena to the crowd. Varea began the faena with low doblones, dominant but gentle passes to teach the classy animal to take its classy charge long through each muletazo. His early toreo en redondo was gentle and sweet, a perfect match for the noble novillo. The slow and well timed series of derechazos were among the most profound of the novillada. Isolated passes with the left hand were equally good, the bull was more reticent on this side and the passes were not as well linked. As the faena progressed, some ugly enganchones and a desarme muddied the performance. These came towards the end of the faena and Varea opted to conclude with forcibly linked derechazos and a concluding populist arrimón on his knees. These served to excite a crowd whose emotion had waned after the excellent start to the faena.  His sword work, once again, was poor, he crowd was sufficiently taken to petition for an ear that the president granted.   Nevertheless, Varea confirmed the excellent impression he caused in Valencia, positioning himself as one of the season’s leading novilleros.

 

 

Madrid 04/06/2015 –Vigésima Corrida

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

Adolfo Martín bulls for Diego Urdiales, Sebastián Castella and Manuel Escribano

Diego Urdiales opened the corrida with a pleasing recibo capotero – the bull lowered its head and followed Diego’s veronica’s from the tercio to the centre of the ring. The adolfo kept its cards close to his chest during the early tercios and reached the muelta with an undefined charge. It measured the torero at each stage but, when correctly dominate, it would charge with class. Diego used heavy toques to ensure that the bull would follow the lure, not go for the man. Urdiales managed to link a number of series on the right hand, and, when the bull’s energy and commitment decreased, based his faena on good isolated passes. The faena could not be brilliant, there was not the bull for a shining faena, but it was well crafted and well received by the crowd. For me, the highlight was an excellent cambio de mano with which he concluded his performance. The well placed media estocada was not enough to kill the bull and Diego needed to rely on a couple of descabellos – a surer sword might have earned him an ear.

The fourth bull was the perfect animal for Urdiales to display his virtues, without his shortcomings being exposed. Diego is an extremely classy torero who because of the idiosyncrasies of the mundillo, has found himself pigeon holed among the tough corridas. However, his tauromaquia is not based on standing up to tough bulls, his toreo is delicate, pretty and calls for a compliant bull. This fourth adolfo had a noble charge and Urdiales gave us a perfumed faena based on either hand, of which the highlight a sweetly linked series of derechazos towards the end of the performance. The bull lacked the motor to make allow Diego to round off his faena as he would have liked. Nevertheless, Diego Urdiales had extracted the most out of the two bulls he drew – it had been a dignified outing by the torero from La Rioja.

The second bull made the lidia hell for Sebastián Castella’s cuadrilla. The picador and the banderilleros were faced with a bull that read their thoughts and took all manner of evasive action to complicate their work. The advantage of the bull is that the crowd was in no doubt on the danger posed by the animal. Castella is in an excellent vein of form and looks assured with any bull. The difficulties displayed by the bull in the early tercios lessened; it remained problematic, its charge was very short, but Castella was in control. It was impossible to link toreo en redondo, but Castella got very close to the bull and managed emotive individual passes. Castella confirmed that he is be the leading figura, on form, heading into the summer ferias.

He fifth bull displayed a promising gallop during the opening doblones given to it by Castella. However, its sweet charge soon soured. The initial movement immediately turned to short, choppy and violent charges. Castella tried, in vain, to construct a faena on both sides, but this was thwarted by the bull’s condition. It had ground to an almost complete halt, Castella moved himself close to the horns, placed himself judiciously, but all he could manage were the odd good pass. Castella was only able to show the ease with which he can handle bulls at the moment, and how comfortable he feels near the bull’s horns. He justified his appearance with Adolfo’s, even though these prevented him from completing his feria with a memorable faena. 

It has been a while since we had a porta gayola. Manuel Escribano put this right by heading to the chiqueros to meet the third bull; the animal initially passed by him, but Escribano readjusted his position and gave an emotive and well time larga de rodillas. Urdiales took his right to a quite and gave a particularly attractive media. Escribano’s three pairs of banderillas were orthodox yet inconsistent, the third pair, de poder a poder executed at a short distance was excellent. The preceding two, less so. Despite displaying positive traits in the opening tercios, the bull’s charge turned for the worse in the final third. It was listless, dull, with a short charge. Escribano was controlled throughout the faena, but the entire performance was wholly lacking in emotion.

Escribano returned to the pens to welcome the afternoon’s final bull with a larga cambiada – it is a tough lot, but Escribano is the type of torero that needs to give his complete repertoire every corrida. Exquisite artists can sit back and wait for their bull, toreros that base their tauromaquia on spectacle and valour must be fully committed with each opponent. Banderillas in hand, Escribano is good enough to perform an attractive tercio, but untidy enough to remind the crowd that it is not easy to place banderillas. His faena de muleta was an exercise in desire. The bull had a very, mobile charge, although it lacked profoundness and therefore did not follow the lure long into the pass. Nevertheless, its movement conveyed danger and emotion, giving importance to Escribano’s work. The faena was basic, but emotive. Stripped fundamental toreo with either hand, controlling the bull’s charge with his lure and linking his passes. A showcase of Manuel’s dominance over the bull that earned him an ear. Further evidence that Manuel Escribano is more than just an honest professional with a keen sense of spectacle: he has the wherewithal to swim in the tempestuous sea of the corridas duras.  

Madrid 03/06/2015 –Corrida de Beneficencia

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

Victoriano del Río bulls for El Juli and Miguel Ángel Perera

Until a few years ago, the Beneficencia Corrida felt different. Las Ventas would be decked with special decorative items and the corrida itself took place after the hectic San Isidro. Today’s corrida is attractive on paper, but it does not feel special. It is another of the thirty-one consecutive taurine spectacles that are held in Madrid from early May to early June. I would welcome for the current programming of the Corrida de Beneficencia to be reconsidered – let it be the jewel in the taurine crown just before the summer, make Las Ventas shine again. Of course, no matter the frills, any corrida that is as poor as today’s has been would soon lose its lustre. As consecutively poor bulls emerged from the pens, collective hopes for the corrida were dashed; let us assess how the spectacle played out. 

The opening bull was a nervy, mobile animal that had an emotive and incessant charge. El Juli gave it a long, clean faena during which the bull kept following the lure with desire. It lacked the class to allow for a reposed performance, nevertheless El Juli gave us a good faena as a curtain raiser. He began with low, long and pleasing doblones, taking the bull to the centre of the ring and testing its charge with a view to beginning toreo fundamental. The faena itself was primarily based on toreo en redondo with either hand; El Juli gave a string of series during a long faena and the only variety was a pase cambiado in the tercio to begin a mid-faena series. All the passes were characterised by being low, clean and well linked, everything was impeccably timed, the bull’s horns barely touched the cloth, and exceedingly low, the bull’s nervy charged needed this dominant low toreo. The protests from the usual suspects accompanied the faena, and seemed to get on Julian’s back, but, to my mind, the faena would have deserved an ear had El Juli’s sword been effective.

El Juli’s second bull had a disconcerting charge. It lowered its head nicely and committed to the charge, however, it was inconsistent, ultimately lacking class. This led to a faena with two distinct parts. The first part of the faena, consisted of El Juli trying to tease a faena from the bull. He tempered its nerve with a low hand, but the animal’s uneven charge meant that for each good, moving pass, there was another rough muletazo. However, slowly, but purposefully, El Juli managed to impose his toreo on the bull and the faena took flight over the second part. Above all, the closing couple of series en redondo were excellent. The last one particularly so, four low, slow and profound derechazos linked to a cambio de mano and a superlative natural. Beautifully controlled toreo. Julián managed an almost full estocada, which cost him a pitonazo in his armpit. Another solid performance from El Juli, although I am sure his aim for the afternoon was to deliver an emphatic, rather than solid, afternoon.

The fifth bull was a lacklustre animal that left Julián without the chance to deliver the faena and triumph that his pass through San Isidro needed. The animal’s main deficiency was its plain and dismal manner. Its charge conveyed no emotion and was entirely devoid of charge. El Juli tried to apply his well-timed and dominant muleta to try and polish the bull’s charges, but it was not possible. 

Perera’s first bull displayed a bland disinterest during the tercio de pics, but this turned to piquant mobility during the banderillas – here’s hoping that it would preserve the powerful charge during the faena de muleta. The animal displayed a lack of focus during the early tanda of doblones, it was a nervy manso. Unfortunately, the manso was more prevalent than the nerve so as soon as Perera managed to focus it on his muleta the bull los interest and its charge lacked all vigour or desire. Faced with such raw material, there is little that Miguel Ángel could do.

The fourth bull was the first that allowed for any capote work of note. Thus far the corrida had been disinterested during the tercio de pics, and quites would have been out of place. El Juli opened with four excellent chicuelinas, open stanced and low, they were inimitably El Juli. This was Perera’s bull and he did not want to let his right of reply pass; Miguel Ángel performed two clean tafalleras and four excellent gaoneras each of which were slow and worked close to the body. The faena’s opening gambit was vintage Perera, some estatuarios, followed by deeply emphatic toreo en redondo. The first two series of derechazos were excellent, two perfect examples of his low, slow, long and perfectly linked toreo fundamental. It seemed like we were in for a good faena, but the bull lost interest. It became distinctly rajado and further toreo was impossible. Perera tried to keep the animal focussed on the muelta, but it was in vain.

By the time the sixth bull came out of the pens we had been deeply disappointed by the behaviour of its five brothers – this animal was not to be the one to save its ranches reputation, rather, it was returned to the pens for displaying manifest weakness. It was replaced by a Montalvo sobrero that did little to raise the hope of the disenchanted crowd. A dull listless bull to close an underwhelming Corrida de Beneficencia.