Madrid, October 3: Cruelty at large
Today saw the much-anticipated confirmación de alternativa of Marco Pérez (left)
There were two schools of thought about what happened in Las Ventas today. The first, epitomised by cultoro’s report of the corrida, was that Marco Pérez had it coming - he’d had a completely cushioned upbringing as a torero and it had taken nearly two years with him as a matador de toros before it was felt able to bring him to Las Ventas for his confirmación, by which time he should be very good indeed.
That was certainly the view the talibanes of Tendido 7 brought with them to the plaza (along with their own definition of ‘good’). Their protests rang out as soon as Pérez started caping the day’s first Victoriano del Río bull. About the only time during the youngster’s performances that the applause outweighed the protests was when, Emilio de Justo having presumed to perform a quite of chicuelinas and a revolera to this same animal, Marco came back out and put him in the shade with a combination of delantales, navarras, tafalleras and a superb media verónica. Otherwise, there was a cacophony of jeers and protests from the ‘purist’ sector as, muleta in hand following the ceremony and a brindis to his father, the salmantino gave his animal excellent doblones before taking it to the centre of the ring for very respectable derechazos and naturales. He was almost caught at the end of one extraordinary series in which he turned and turned the bull, but Tendido 7 and friends simply grew more strident. Pérez ended with trincheras and a desdén mirando al público before killing with a terrific estocada contraria that soon floored the bull. A few of us in the tendidos were brave enough, given the ambiente, to wave our handkerchiefs - the performance merited an ear even here in Madrid - but, in a division of opinions, the protesters won the day. They whistled the matador while the bull was taken out to deserved applause.
Marco Pérez with cape and muleta during the lidia of his first bull
It was more of the same with the last bull of the corrida, the heaviest of the imposing string of five-year-old victorianos at 625 kilos. This was a dangerous hooking animal that towered over its young matador, but Marco got stuck in to the business of the faena despite the constant background of vocal criticism. Living dangerously, and disarmed at one point, he nevertheless brought off honest passes. He killed with a pinchazo and another fine estocada, losing the muleta just as had occurred with his first bull. As the animal died, the bulk of the crowd rose to their feet to applaud the youngster’s bravery. For there is a second view of what occurred at Las Ventas today, hopefully held by most of the spectators present - that it is one thing to barrack an experienced figura and quite another to embark on a loud campaign of criticism towards an 18-year-old on the day of his confirmation as a matador. It was cruelty at large.
Pérez with his second Victoriano del Río bull of 625 kilos
As things have turned out, I have seen Marco Pérez at a number of significant moments in his career - his first morning ‘exhibition’ at Las Ventas when he cut four ears and left on shoulders; the rainy day at Santander when he was badly tossed by his first bull, but fought against the elements and his own physical condition to make his mark (Pérez speaks of this as an important experience); his first cornada at the end of an excellent showing at Santander this year; and now this theatre of cruelty that marked his Madrid confirmation - another experience he will lodge in his brain and, as with the rest, build upon. It was good to see him already smiling and joking straight after the corrida when he emerged on his way back to the patio de caballos.
If there’s one consolation, it’s only figuras that the Madrid diehards treat this way - so perhaps that’s an indication for his future.
Emilio de Justo’s bulls weren’t triunfo material
Emilio de Justo didn’t have the material today for a successful afternoon at Las Ventas. His first tall bull showed a tendency to move away coming out of passes and so that faena never really took off; there were series of muletazos, including some fine derechazos, but frequent enganches too. Emilio killed with an estocada contraria, receiving an aviso and silence. The extremeño’s second bull was distracted and none-to-easy to engage in the lure. After verónicas, it was given some two-in-one varas followed by a boring faena with only occasional successful passes with the right hand. A pinchazo and a low sword to the lungs led to some pitos for the matador while the arrastre took place in silence.
A friend asked me recently how Víctor Hernández’s temporada had gone and I said it had been low-key, but perhaps this was because it was taking time for his style - tomasista, but nonetheless unusual for these times - to be accepted by spectators. I also said I’d like to see him with a noble, rather than difficult, bull. The latter type of animal was the one with which he became the great hope of the madrileños last year. Judging from the reactions of today’s crowd towards him, he enjoys that status no more.
A close derechazo from Víctor Hernández
Indeed, he was heavily criticised by Zabala de la Serna in the following day’s El Mundo, the critic saying that Víctor’s toreo has not evolved at all. Certainly, there was an air of predictability about him today from his quites de saltilleras onwards. His first victoriano was wide-horned, the capote soon getting caught in verónicas, and, although Hernández dedicated to the public and cited the bull from a distance to start with, his faena soon fizzled out with the animal hooking unhelpfully at each muletazo’s end. A pinchazo, a poor estocada and a three-quarters sword, an aviso sounding, led to silences for both parties.
Víctor met his next animal with delantales. The first puyazo was poorly placed, the second a heavier, punishing effort, but Yelco Álvarez restored some quality to the proceedings with his banderillas. There were some fine stretched muletazos in the faena, Hernández curving the bull around his body, but it mattered little as this victoriano did not transmit any sense of power or danger. It received pitos en arrastre, and Víctor more silence, after the lidia ended with an estocada and several attempts to descabellar.