Sevilla, May 5: A lost Puerta del Príncipe and other marvels
The corrida was sold out following Morante’s earlier feria success
I wrote about Friday’s corrida here that the sevillanos’ love affair with Manzanares was coming to an end. Well, today it ignited again. The alicantino was awarded an ear from his first animal, a bull from Hermanos García Jiménez, following a strong petition from a crowd that was prepared to overlook his distant passing, his favouring of pico-led derechazos and the low (albeit effective) sword.
His second bull was one of the two best of the evening (the other being the sixth, these two bearing the Olga Jiménez colours and brand), even though it tried to retreat from its second puyazo, and it should have seen José Mari leave through the Puerta del Príncipe. The matador produced some stirring verónicas for the second time today, and his toreo in the faena was an improvement over earlier. If only he had been more prepared to concentrate on the bull’s left horn; we had just two series of exquisite naturales that lifted the tone of the whole faena. At the faena’s end, with this crowd (Tendidos 6 and 4, let alone the Sol section, were awash with plastic glasses and spilt drinks come the corrida’s end), the big gate was still a possibility, but a pinchazo and estocada said goodbye to that, José Mari touchingly holding on to one of the bull’s horns as it died.
Never mind, there were other marvels today, not least from a white-stockinged Morante de la Puebla. It was also a day for adornos to dying bulls, Morante standing with his elbow on the rump of his half-fallen second animal in a scene that could have been a print from La Lidia. The sevillano had a confident, strong evening with two none-too-easy bulls, typified by his going out to meet his first opponent after it had proved reluctant to enter las tablas and bringing off his characteristic verónicas en las medias. This was a Hermanos García Jiménez sobrero, replacing a bull that was dead on its feet at the end of las varas. The faena, begun with a marvellous and courageous series of estatuarios, Morante’s back against the barrera, was a lengthy one, carried out slowly and calmly, although the matador’s attempt to prolong his series of exquisitely-paced derechazos and naturales meant the tandas would frequently end in enganches or near-cogidas. An aviso, pinchazo and bajonazo led to an ovation and saludos.
His other bull was the lightest of the day at 509 kilos and was whistled for its anovillado appearance. Morante could only manage a couple of verónicas; the bull was pinned in a carioca on its first vara; and Joao Ferreira placed some fearless and spectacular banderillas. The faena, begun with Morante’s wonderful pases ayudados, was another calm and considered artwork, each series, whether of derechazos or naturales, exuding temple. The maestro took great care in lining the bull up for the kill before delivering a committed and effective estocada. He won an oreja, and also a significant number of cigars that rained down beside the hats as he took his vuelta.
That left us with Alejandro Talavante, who had shone in a quite of gaoneras and saltilleras on Manzanares’ first bull, but whose own first faena had never really taken off, the extremeño tending to send the animal outwards when he had the muleta in his left hand. He had also lost a banderillero, Javier Ambel paying for his ambition on his second pair by receiving a 30-centimetre cornada menos grave in his right leg.
The general feeling is that Talavante has never recovered the form he showed before his retirement. With his second bull, we had all the amazing variety and some of the fluidity of old, but the lidia was conducted at high speed and with a whipping up of the crowd that reminded one of rejoneadores or of goal-scorers at a football match. He greeted this bull with a farol, standing and half-kneeling cordobinas, verónicas, chicuelinas, a larga and media verónicas. With his muleteando in front of a Sol tendido, there were chants of ”Torero! Torero!” after Alejandro had begun the faena on his knees (an arrucina proving a pass too far) and then moved onto series of derechazos and naturales, closed with chest passes. The estocada was splendid, and we disocovered the Sol contagion had spread to other parts of the ring, the crowd seeking a two-ear award. It took an age for the bull to be collected for the arrastre, but the president held out, only awarding one ear and giving rise to a bronca.