Albacete Sept.9: Destructive swordwork
Unlike yesterday, when we had a minute’s silence (I’d assumed for local victims of the pandemic, but in fact to mark the passing of the matador Pedrés) and the national anthem at the end of the paseíllo, today’s opening parade was a straightforward one of the type before Catalunya’s attempt at secession.
The bulls, from Victoriano del Río (the first and sixth carrying the sister brand of Toros de Cortés) brought with them a reputation for success. Well-presented and ranging from 513 to 569 kilos , in fact only the second and last bulls turned out to be unproblematic.
Pedro Belmonte, writing in the next day’s La Tribuna, commented that Domecq bulls were supposed to reveal themselves in the first two tercios, but the bulls of yesterday and tomorrow had hardly received any cape passes and no more than single varas and were still a mystery by the time the faenas began. He didn’t mention the age angle, but when one is watching toros approaching their sixth birthday, that must have a bearing on their behaviours.
Diego Urdiales, having a strong temporada and appearing at Albacete after a gap of several years, met his well-armed first opponent with a couple of suave verónicas and a well-executed media. The animal was permitted just one vara and the faena commenced with a lovely, varied sequence of passes to take the bull to los medios, where the riojano produced some fine series of derechazos. So far, so good, but then the bull started to cut in and raising its head in passes, catching the cloth. Diego worked hard to salvage his performance, but the naturales were not so good and the faena became one of de más a menos, at the end of which one felt the bull had vanquished the matador. There was a strong, slightly forward, estocada to end with and Diego took saludos while the bull was taken out to a few pitos.
The good impression gained with this bull was diluted with his second, Diego looking disinterested as his picador got to protracted work and the matador not succeeding on either horn in the faena. A media estocada contraria led to whistles for the bull and silence for Urdiales.
Miguel Ángel Perera is a longstanding favourite at Albacete, and he made the most of his initial none-too-strong opponent. The capework took flight in a quite of close, low chicuelinas, a media verónica and larga, then Curro Javier gave excellent brega in the tercio de banderillas, Javier Ambel winning applause with two fine pairs of rehiletes.
Perera’s faenón, dedicated to the public, made the most of the bull’s condition with excellent temple throughout as Miguel Ángel curved the animal past his hip in series, the muleta, predominantly in the left hand, kept low. Crowd and matador were enthused, the faena a lengthy one as Perera returned to the bull (which had staying power) time and time again for more superb tandas. Alas, when Perera entered for the kill, two pinchazos and an estocada (together with an aviso) lost him the two ears his efforts with the muleta had undoubtedly secured.
Miguel Ángel greeted his second bull with feet-together capotazos before the characteristic single vara and another fine tercio de banderillas from his excellent cuadrilla. This time, the extremeño managed to extract a faena from an unpromising animal. The series of derechazos went well enough for the band to strike up, only for things to then get tricky on the left horn. Perera returned to the right, bringing off more fine series of derechazos closed with pases de pecho.
Once again, though, the swordwork was disappointing, but a majority in the crowd decided to overlook the bajonazo and award an oreja.
To date, Ginés Marín’s temporada has been sufficiently convincing to make the case for the young matador to have a regular place in the main ferias. Today’s performance somewhat tarnished that impression.
His first bull came in looking overweight and leaden. It turned out it had two modes - static sullenness or wild, aggressive charges. The latter first manifested itself after Ginés’ father rode his horse up to the bull to place the puya, the blade’s effect being a huge derribo followed by initially uncontrolled charging across the arena. A similar performance occurred in banderillas and after the estocada.
The faena, like Urdiales’ first, saw the torero working hard, with plenty of crossing to secure charges from a none-too-keen animal. Ginés thought the estocada sufficient, the matador holding his hand aloft and waiting for the bull to fall for several minutes before it became apparent to him that the descabello was needed. Any oreja was lost with eight attempts to descabellar, a second aviso being narrowly avoided. As we began the merienda break, one and a half hours had gone by since the corrida’s start!
With his second bull, given some decent verónicas and permitted just one slight puyazo after it left the horse early, Marín revealed himself as still an immature torero. The faena was varied but also patchy in quality, Marín focusing on pleasing the spectators with pases mirando al tendido instead of concentrating on the animal before him. Any prospect of an ear was lost with more destructive swordwork, a pinchazo and estocada leading to an unsuccessful minority petition.