To understand the fervor surrounding the Tacon Exclusive, one must first appreciate the architect of its design. Carmen Sousa has long been a figure synonymous with blending traditional motifs with avant-garde modernism. Her design philosophy often centers on the concept of "living art"—objects that are functional yet possess a spiritual weight.
Sousa’s work typically features organic curves, juxtaposed with rigid, architectural lines. However, the Tacon Exclusive marks a departure from her standard oeuvre. Insiders suggest that this collection was born out of a desire to challenge the boundaries of materiality, pushing the limits of what Tacon’s manufacturing capabilities could achieve.
Her new album, Silencios (out now on Deutsche Grammophon), is a stark departure from the flashy, virtuosic recital discs that dominate the charts. Instead of the standard fare of Rodrigo and Albéniz, Sousa Tacón has curated a program of "re-imagined silences"—works by Toru Takemitsu, George Crumb, and a world-premiere recording of a piece written for her by Portuguese composer Sérgio Azevedo. carmen sousa tacon exclusive
The album’s centerpiece is a daring arrangement of Léo Delibes’ Flower Duet for solo guitar. Where most arrangers try to mimic the orchestra, Sousa Tacón deconstructs it.
“I use harmonics to represent the ‘other’ voice,” she says. “You hear the melody, but there is a ghost note floating above it. It is the sound of what is missing. That is the exclusive nature of the guitar—it can create two realities at once: the note you play, and the silence it implies.” To understand the fervor surrounding the Tacon Exclusive,
No conversation about classical guitar can avoid the ghost of Andrés Segovia, the 20th-century titan who brought the instrument from flamenco bars to Carnegie Hall. Sousa Tacón has a complicated relationship with that legacy.
“Segovia was a colonizer of sound,” she states bluntly, leaning forward. “He decided what ‘classical guitar’ should be. He rejected the flamenco roots, he dictated repertoire. For sixty years, if you played a romantic tremolo, you were a genius. If you experimented, you were a heretic.” Her new album, Silencios (out now on Deutsche
She pauses, softening her tone. “I am grateful for the doors he opened. But we have spent fifty years trying to walk out of the prison he built. My exclusive mission is to show that the guitar can be dissonant, electric, percussive, and fragile. It is not just a mini-piano with strings.”
To prove her point, she recently launched a controversial masterclass series titled Deconstructing Segovia, where she teaches students to play the master’s signature pieces with "incorrect" fingerings and non-standard tunings. Traditionalists have balked; her students have sold out her workshops.