The bullfighting afternoons begin in the morning and at 12 o’clock on all the clocks, in the premises of the bullring, regardless of its category, capital, city or town lost in the mountains. Representatives of the authority (for some time now, not necessarily police), businessmen, ranchers and bullfighters, in a mass-like silence only broken when the bullfighter is named and the numbers of each bull from the corresponding lot are sung, written on little balls of paper. and extracted from separate wide-brimmed hats, one on top of the other.
In them, the destiny of each one, the triumph or the fight, the glory or – God forbid, hence the crossing – the blood. It is, that of the draw, part of the bullfighting rite, perhaps what will mark the development of the bullfight… And in La Maestranza in Seville it has a special solemnity.
For the fifth bullfight of the April Fair, bulls of the iron of Núñez del Cuvillo were reviewed (history of La Maestranza the pardon of Arrojado -same name of the one reviewed in fifth place for today-, a bull of that currency that Manzanares bullfighted like the angels on May 1, 2011) and three bullfighters with great prestige: Diego Urdiales from Rioja, Alejandro Talavante from Extremadura and Daniel Luque from Seville. Different professional trajectories and bullfighting in which if it is a question of attributing a reductionist adjective to each one, Urdiales would be purity, Talavante would be unpredictability and Luque would be plenitude.
The surroundings of La Maestranza are bustling with people from all over the world, including Catalans, ozú!, and the streets, except for part of the solanera (sun of justice, outpost of summer), are packed.
A trapío bull opened the bullring not far from a bullring like that of Seville and Urdiales, a bullfighter blessed by the Pharaoh of Camas, that’s nothing, he was able to draw a couple of veronic rhythms in which the one from Cuvillo showed fairness of strength.
He offered Urdiales to one of the great singers, Rancapino Chico, and he began to bullfight in circles like angels, with the bull charging better than he had intended. The miracle of temper, which had its effect and also a breed background in the bull that made him take the deception with dedication and repetition. And in the same way bull and bullfighter when it was natural, woven together, almost a caress.
In the middle, a series of naturals culminated with three assisted by bass that were delicatessen, beautiful. He sealed the work with a solid blow of his sword, the bull rolled at his feet and La Maestranza was dyed white. Ear of (a lot) weight for Urdiales, walked around the ring next to a sprig of rosemary. Hey.
The second, in terms of trapío, didn’t do anything either and Talavante speared Veronica without any special relevance.
In his turn to take off after passing by the horse, Daniel Luque adjusted himself in the chicuelinas. In sunny terrain he began the work with genuflective muletazos leading the attacks and the bull responded better than expected up to that moment.
Upright and already beyond the middle third lines, he began the natural round with a brutal change of hand. Bull to more and inspiration from Talavante drawing coiled muletazos, prior to a low end of bullfighting. He took the sword and went after her in righteousness, sinking it into the morrillo. And again there was a prize.
Due to one of those inexplicable things about the bullfighting network that undermines its credibility, yesterday in La Maestranza was Daniel Luque’s first pasoíllo (previously, one in the French city of Arles) in the Spanish season. And without a doubt he took the walk willing to expose such an anomaly.
The bullfighter from Gerena greeted the third, who already looked more serious, with a bunch of speedwells standing together, followed by others, already open and gaining ground. And also earning an ovation, which was repeated for Urdiales and Luque himself in the removal of the first and the response of the second.
More ovations in banderillas were won by Iván García (the last pair was superb) and Jesús Arruga, forced to greet them. Beginning of the task very bullfighter, relaxed figure and after a round series that the bull took reluctantly, with the muleta on the left natural long, gathered, fitted.
More subdued than Cuvillo, Luque entered his lands and with his sword, a cannon. He bull to the ground, without toe and ear to the song. Three out of three, let’s go. And three options, one for each bullfighter, from Puerta del Príncipe.
It’s time for Urdiales and five verónicas of excellent composition finished off with two mediums, to open their mouths in the fourth. To the public the toast of the Arnedano bullfighter. Muleta in the right hand and somewhat decomposed attacks by the right python, also when he took the left, until he channeled it into three natural commands in the square, prior to another longer one with the bullfighter putting much more effort than the bull. The same thing happened when he turned to the right hand.
Serious, substantial work, full of knowledge and flavor, weighed down by the condition of a bull without dedication. Full thrust after puncture, illusion of great triumph vanished, but well-deserved ovation of recognition collected cap in hand by Urdiales.
The very serious fifth, with peach hair, was received by Talavante fighting for bluffs, a luck as colorful as it was unusual and Javier Ambel dealt with him superiorly. Talavante knelt on his knees, the bull galloped away and upon reaching the jurisdiction of the bullfighter, he changed the journey around his back. But the bad news came when Alejandro, already standing, with the crutch on the left, linked the natives by scattering crutches among them along the bottom of the poster.
Series followed one another by the two pitons, the bullfighter very settled and the bull greedy, in a vibrant and fair task in which a puncture prior to the thrust vanished the possibility of a prize.
There was one bull left to come out… and there was still, ajar, the Gate of Glory. If peach fur was the fifth, soap was the sixth, who did not allow Luque to show off with the cape, but the picador did, measuring the punishment in rods and placing the puja in his place. Ovation to the castoreño also to the matador in the toast to the conclave.
Fitted with his kidneys, Luque drew round tempers before taking the crutch with his left and leaving a pair of resounding naturals. Discontinuous in his attacks, he lacked connection but not commitment, which was power and mettle in a couple of series with the right that raised the public in their localities, as well as when he got among the pitons, the luquesinas with copyright and a rudeness, crutch to the sand and open jacket before the pitons.
He went in to kill with his heart first, accompanying the sword, which although it fell back had a devastating effect.
The president took out a handkerchief, the crowd continued with theirs in the wind and the president ended up giving up. With them Luque did open a Puerta del Príncipe, debatable if we look at the roundness of the task (impossible for what the bull offered) but unobjectionable in terms of the waste of a bullfighter brimming with ambition.
Luque looked up when, in the wings of the fans, a large number of young people among them, he passed under the Puerta del Príncipe. Contained emotion of a bullfighter who, after years of ostracism, has been able to reach a plenitude of which he shows every afternoon that he dresses in lights, earning in the ring what some try to deny him in the offices.
Afternoon of glory in Seville, also for Urdiales and Talavante.
More tomorrow.
