If you were fortunate enough to see the bullfight, stay with what you experienced, with that mysterious collective commotion that took over La Maestranza at the hands of a genius called Morante de la Puebla.
If you haven’t seen it, close your eyes and dream of an unequal, virtuoso, shocking, surprising, baroque work, a display of improvisation by an artist who is not from this world, capable of hypnotizing and with a supernatural capacity unbecoming of current bullfighting.
Morante is the god of Sevillian bullfighting, of bullfighting in Spain, in the world, in the entire universe, wherever you want, because he is unique and different, and he does what no one in his right mind can think of.
But what happened? Trying to tell it is reckless, but there is no other choice.
The fourth bull came out; Morante leans on the boards of the barrier of laying 5, and waits for him there with his cape in one hand. The animal, distracted and loose, passes by them on a couple of occasions, while a strange sensation begins to take over the lines.
Suddenly, Morante comes out on the line of the third and bullfights like Veronica, stumbled at first, then with more temperance, and two extraordinary events emerge. The music plays and the ecstasy has just begun with the square standing.
After an anecdotal passage of the bull by the horse, he draws a remove of an unknown name: he presents the cape gathered in front and passes it behind like a serpentine.
The bugles sound for the third of banderillas. Morante asks for the clubs (big surprise!) and places a first front pair, but by right; the second is simply perfect, and for the third… For the third he asks for a scissors chair from the ranchers’ box, sits on it, crosses his legs, raises his arms and calls the bull. He gets up with just enough time to nail a pair on the spectacular break.
At this point, the square was a madhouse; happy, very happy, yes, but an uncontrollable madhouse.
When the Sevillian took the crutch he already had the greatest trophies in his hands. He sits back in the chair, and draws three aids above in such a way that they composed a film by Rafael El Gallo. And from now on, an excellent current of improvisation, of long and beautiful muletazos and other hooked ones; and a complete, round natural, which was a lesson in the greatest bullfighting.
When he prepared to kill, the bullring remained silent, prayed, implored that the sword would sink into the noble and dull flesh of the bull, but it did not happen like that. Needless to say, the two laps around the ring were tremendous; The commotion was such that at the end of the bullfight they wanted to carry him out on their shoulders through the Puerta del Príncipe, but it was not possible despite a long wait, and he flew out through the gang gate.
Two final details that should not go unnoticed.
One: Morante’s bull was an unpresentable bull, which was a troupe throughout the fight. He did not even accompany, nor was his noble calmness taken into account. There was no protagonist other than Morante, and that is not what he is.
And two: You have to see how well and how much Sevilla sings! Everything, absolutely everything, seems nice to this fun audience that throws olés everywhere for no justifiable reason.
The rest of the race is another story. Morante’s first, a corpse project. Víctor Hernández fell on his feet due to his courage, his fortitude, his honor and his clear head in front of an unfavorable lot. He drew strokes of good bullfighting, clearly solemn, in his first, exhausted and noble; and there was a push in the sixth, which he gave to Morante.
Juan Ortega, for his part, went unnoticed. He received the second on his knees in the middle with a long exchange, and he looked doubtful and dazed. The bull developed a point of annoying caste and the bullfighter did not feel comfortable at any time, more concerned with accompanying than commanding. In the fifth, the public was exhausted after the morantista binge, and Juan Ortega was shipwrecked against a classless opponent.
Let no one be surprised if one of these days someone registers the Morantista religion to worship the bullfighter of La Puebla… Let no one be surprised.
Núñez/Morante, Ortega, Hernández
Bulls of Alvaro Nunezunequal presence; very fair first and third; the fourth was twisted, and the rest correct; gentle on the horses, soft, noble and exhausted in the final third.
Morante of Puebla: lunge (silence); puncture, half a lunge and two descabellos (two turns around the ring). He left on his shoulders through the gang door.
Juan Ortega: very low lunge (ovation); lunge (silence).
Victor Hernandez: _notice_ somewhat fallen lunge (ear); lunge (ovation).
La Maestranza Square. April 16. Sixth April Fair subscription celebration. Full of ‘no tickets’.