The view from the sofa, my thoughts on corridas I
have watched on TV.
El Tajo y La Reina bulls for Diego
Urdiales, Morenito de Aranda &
Saúl Jiménez Fortes
This afternoon’s cartel was conceptually
similar to yesterday’s: a veteran opener with two young guns to follow. If we
were to stretch the comparison, we could point out that while Tuesday’s corrida
included a southern torero with a northern concept, today’s had a northern
torero with a southern concept. Diego Urdiales has been forced into the circuit
of the corrida dura, but his toreo is classy and not at all suited to the
belligerent nature of tough bulls. Morenito’s
elegant, artful nature and wonderful capote. Morenito has performed one of the best three faenas this year in
Madrid, he deserves the chance to repeat this performance. Besides, his capote
can be excellent. Juxtaposed to Morenito’s
elegance is Jiménez Fortes’ old school tremendismo; his toreo is marked by
his remarkable valour and desire to push the envelope. While his toreo en
redondo is improving, he seems to hark to an age when a determined torero with
precarious technique held a place in the fiesta. As an aside, the afición has
got a bit precious, we all want technical precise toreo accompanied by a baroque
aesthetic concept, as if we have forgotten that toreo may still validly have a
significant element of blood and thunder – both concepts are entirely valid and
necessary.
The corrida opened with a disconcerting
bull. Despite its class and willingness to charge, the animal’s manifest
weakness made toreo en redondo difficult. The bull needed a soft touch, with mid-height
toreo to accompany it through the charge. Urdiales was inconsistent. Diego
managed some individual passes of note, characterised by his natural elegance,
but all too often he mistimed the bull and sent it to the ground. It can be a
pleasure to see a torero with his good taste, but frustrating to watch technical
missteps undermine his toreo.
Urdiales’s fourth bull was entirely
mediocre. It moved, somewhat, but without much verve. It would repeat its
charges, but without any gusto. It did not convey danger, but its charge was
not particularly classy. The bull allowed Urdiales to perform a long faena, because
the torero was able to be at ease before the bull, but the performance was
lacklustre. Yes, Urdiales was able to give a number of excellent isolated
muletazos; he is a classy torero, so a long faena is bound to have some
worthwhile passes. However, there were too many enganchones, and, ultimately,
one never got the feeling that the performance was ever going to take off. As a
whole, a subdued afternoon for Urdiales who was able to show a few flashes, but
these were too few and far between.
The second bull gave a burst of nervy,
repetitive charges as it came into the ring. Morenito once again showed us his excellent capote, channelling the
bull’s mobility into an emotive series of low, dominant veronicas. Following
the second pic, Fortes opted for an untidy quite by gaoneras. Morenito began the faena toreando en redondo
on his knees in the centre of the ring. The type of spectacular start that the
Pamplona peñas love. The following series en redondo built on this promising
start. It was short, but well linked, Morenito
managing the bull’s short charges through the series. However, what looked to
be heading towards a worthwhile performance faded as the bull’s short charges
turned rough and its strength began to wane. Time to end the faena
unfortunately.
One of the charms of watching Javier
Castaño over the past few seasons has been his wonderful cuadrilla; the dream
team split this season and one of the banderilleros, David Adalid, is now with Morenito de Aranda. True to form, he
placed a couple of elegant, close and pure pairs of banderillas and was obliged
to saludar from the tercio. Unfortunately, this proved to be the highlight of
the lidia to the fifth bull. Its charge to the muleta was dull and listless, a
bland nobility that conspired with a lack of strength to render toreo
impossible. Morenito calmly controlled the bull throughout the faena, but to no
avail. He tried to ignite the crowd with an arrimón, but this coda lacked
importance given the nature of the bull and the faena. I, for one, would have
preferred him to take the sword and save us all five minutes. Morenito
had already shown that he was able to cope with the bull; it is a real pity
that he did not have the bulls before him to consolidate his position following
his triumph in Madrid.
Fortes met his first bull with uneven
veronicas that improved during the series and were capped with an excellent
media, while Diego Urdiales showed his class with three tastefully executed
chicuelinas during the tercio de quites. The bull was noble, but did not define
itself for better or worse during the opening tercios; would it break into a
classy charge or fade to dull nobility? Fortes began his faena in the centre of
the ring and the bull charged beautifully during a couple of linked series of
derechazos. The bull was classy and repetitive, but it lacked an edge of desire
to follow the muleta to the very end of the pass. Fortes was correct, although
cold. Perhaps he needs a bull with a greater edge of piquancy. Saul knew that
the faena was getting away from him so he opted for some pyro. A few arrucinas,
which were well linked into a series en redondo and then, toreo on his knees.
He worked very close to the bull, kneeled firm as it displayed reticence to
charge and was able to extract a number of worthy passes, both en redondo and
by naturales and cambiados. Both of his series on his knees ended with Fortes
losing his muleta and being at the mercy of the bull. Saúl concluded with an
arrimón and might have cut an ear had a pinchazo not preceded his effective
estocada, his prize was therefore reduced to a vuelta al ruedo.
I feel that Fortes might have made more of
the bull’s class with deeper toreo fundamental. However, not all toreros are
blessed with the ability to perform cadenced toreo, nevertheless, it is a
torero’s obligation to find a way of imposing their toreo on the bull. Fortes’ concept is brave tremendismo and
he was able to give this to the crowd. This type of toreo is necessary for the
fiesta’s variety, I therefore take my hat off to Fortes’ bravery. Chapeau.
The final bull followed the pattern set by
its brothers – an anodyne charge that, without being disastrous, fell below the
level needed to perform a worthy faena. Fortes gave us a long performance,
which included some deep and well timed passes, but was ultimately unfulfilling
because of the bull’s lack of vigour. He concluded with an arrimón and some
very closely worked manoletinas. A dignified performance from Fortes. It is
always refreshing to see a torero with his desire to please.
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