The view from the sofa,
my thoughts on corridas I have watched on TV.
Nuñez del Cuvillo bulls for Joselito
Adame, José Garrido & Andrés Roca Rey
Each taurine season has a hook. Look carefully
at the prevailing February narratives and you will be able to spot the torero,
cartel or concept that the taurinos will be peddling over the summer. This
year, the hook is the generational shift. We have had the same seven or eight
figuras monopolising the principal cartels for nearly ten years. The afición
has been crying for some years that the ferias should be opened up to young, up
and coming toreros. Thus far the toreros and empresarios have resisted the
change (or is it that they did not feel that the suitable youngsters were up to
the task?). Until now. All winter we have read and heard the taurine press
proclaim that finally, the young toreros would be given an opportunity to dine
at the top table. The principal youngsters, we are told, are Roca Rey and López
Simón. Although they are closely followed by José Garrido and the soon to be
matador Ginés Marín.
This week has been the first litmus test for
the new hook, firstly with the mano a mano between López Simón and Roca Rey in
Castellón and now with this corrida. Cuvillo bulls for Joselito Adame (who is
not strictly one of the new generation, but who has made himself a figura in
Mexico and is looking impose himself on the Spanish season like no other
Mexican since Zotoluco), José Garrido and Roca Rey.
The young toreros face two battles, they must
attract sufficient crowds to show the empresarios that they are an economically
viable alternative and they must triumph with the bull. The taurino’s hook has
a shelf life, if the torero, cartel or concept does not deliver in the ring, it
will soon be discarded. Castellón was a promising start, the plaza registered a
good attendance, López Simón triumphed and Roca Rey performed well. For
starters in Olivenza, the ring was nearly (though unfortunately not completely)
full. Let us see how each torero performed.
Joselito Adame’s opening Cuvillo reached the
muleta with a noble, subdued charge. Joselito had to guide it a mid-height
during the first few series en redondo to ensure that it would cope with toreo
en redondo. The toreo was clean, but lacking in emotion. Slowly but surely he
was able to slowly add some more intensity to the faena, but this was by no
means impassioned toreo. This was smooth, simple, series en redondo to a bull that
needed solid technical handling. The crux of Adame's faena was using height and
his positioning to ensure that the bull could cope with each pass and ensuring
he was placed just so to link each subsequent muletazo. This was the type of
faena that an aficionado can enjoy in an understated manner (while at the same
time lamenting the bull’s lacklustre performance), but I did not expect the
crowd to enjoy it enough to petition for an ear. The prize was duly granted by
a generous president.
The fourth bull was an entirely different
proposition. It was wonderfully classy and had the motor to follow the lures
with commitment and vigour. An excellent bull for the torero. One that would
allow good toreo, but would also undermine the torero if he was unable to rise
to the challenge to give a great performance. Joselito was very good, he was
not able to give the great faena that a top tier torero might have managed, but
he performed at a high level that many would have failed to match. Once again,
Adame’s timing was completely on point. His toreo was utterly clean and smooth,
an absolute pleasure to behold. Joselito also lowered the lures further this faena, in order to match the bull’s profound charge, And he was completely in control between each muletazo linking his
toreo seamlessly. Joselito Adame is not a torero that is known for the
aesthetic expressiveness of his toreo, but during this faena he was utterly
relaxed which, allied to his silky toreo, gave his work a halo of beauty. There
were the token, but underserved, calls for an indulto towards the end of the
faena. These were unwarranted, the bull had been very good, not great, for the muleta and did nothing of note at the horse, so Joselito did well to dismiss them with
a swift sword thrust. On this occasion, the two ears were entirely deserved.
José Garrido gave an emphatic performance with the cape during his first toro. He stepped on to the sand with the attitude that today
he must triumph, he must create spectacle and begin to earn the contracts that
the mundillo is reticent to hand out gratuitously. Garrido's opening
veronicas were dominant and well linked, capped with a kneeling media which
served as a prompt to the crowd that here was a torero entirely committed to this corrida. Garrido’s quite was completely unique. Kneeling in the centre
of the ring, he gave a couple of largas cambiadas linked with a kneeling
saltillera – breath taking, unique and emphatic. The quite perhaps lacked the profound
qualities that some may look for in cape work, but it was no less meritorious.
With the muleta, this bull had greater piquancy than the opener and
necessitated low, demanding muletazos in order to dominate it into toreo
en redondo. Garrido was up to the challenge and constructed an emotive faena
around his low toreo en redondo by derechazos. He concluded with a well-structured
arrimón and circulares. A full estocada allowed him to cut two deserved ears.
His second bull was a combination of
incomplete qualities. It was obedient, but had a raspy edge. It was
mobile, but lacked commitment to follow each charge through completely. It was,
in short, an average bull that leaves the aficionado wanting, but can offer possibilities
for a faena to the torero. Garrido understood his animal well. His muleta was
firm and decisvee, timing the bull’s charges andoffering it no choice but to
follow the lure and, subsequently, repeat its charge. José constructed the
faena intelligently and managed the most intense passages at the conclusion
of his performance. Garrido’s toreo was low, linked and controlled. He gave the
crowd a worthy faena and they in turn responded by petitioning for an ear, completing an important morning for the young torero.
Roca Rey’s first bull was dreamily classy. The
aficionado may call for more nerve, but, if the torero is up to the task, this type of bull can be the foundation for great faenas. Thus
far I had Andrés down as a torero that was extremely capable and whose concept
revolved around stillness and close work. Today, I also discovered that he
could perform delicate toreo fundamental of the highest order. Given that the bull lacked an edge of piquancy to give its classy charge greater emotion, it required toreo
of the highest quality. Roca Rey understood this perfectly, his faena was
characterised by it sheer quality. It was smooth, well-linked, long and perfectly
controlled. Andrés featured both hands in the faena, but the quality of the
naturales shone above the derechazos – he used the flow of the cloth
beautifully as he channelled the bull’s sweet charge through each pass. Roca
Rey completed his performance with his characteristic arrimón, made up of close
ojedismo, arrucinas and all manner of cloasely worked passes. After taking the
real sword, he gave a series of luquesinas that were met were frenzied applause
by the crowd, as well as calls for an indulto that were entirely out of place.
Instead of opting to force the indulto, Andrés secured a full estocada and was
awarded a slightly generous tail, although given the quality of the faena and
the small plaza context, I am happy to indulge this prize.
The final bull of the afternoon was perhaps
its poorest. The animal was sluggish, weak and conveyed no emotion. On the
basis of timing and a conviction that he would manage a faena, Roca Rey managed
to create some spectacle with the animal. Demanding toreo en redondo was
impossible, but he eventually worked the bull round to performing smooth and closely
worked figure of eight toreo. The crowd welcomed his positive attitude. In the
face of such a lacklustre opponent and Roca Rey, no doubt spurred on by the
crowd’s encouragement, even gave them a coda of kneeling passes. This faena
will not live in our memory, but it is important to highlight the torero’s
determination to extract a performance from a seemingly empty bull. If Roca Rey
continues in this vein, he will surely be one of the cornerstones of toreo’s
generational shift.
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