Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine will be a featured soloist with the San Diego Symphony this spring. The classical special concert, billed as “Symphony Interrupted”, will take place at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, California on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at SanDiegoSymphony.org.

Check out the official “Symphony Interrupted” poster below.

In this truly unique concert event, master guitarist Dave Mustaine of the thrash-metal pioneers Megadeth brings his crunchy and energetic sensibility to the great works of classical music which have inspired him over the course of his Grammy-nominated, multi platinum-selling career. When Dave Mustaine performs the virtuosic “Summer” and “Winter” movements from Vivaldi‘s “The Four Seasons”, and Bach‘s classic “Air” on the G string, you will see a truly different side of “metal.” The San Diego Symphony will then wow you in the second half of the program with Antonín Dvořák‘s famous “New World Symphony”. Following Dvorak will be Richard Wagner‘s “Ride of the Valkyries”, and who knows… someone might just feel inclined to walk back on stage to rejoin the members of the San Diego Symphony in an encore performance where heavy-metallic sparks are sure to fly!

Dave has confirmed that he and conductor Ken-David Masur are considering adding a solo over “Ride Of The Valkyries”.

In an interview with Metal Sanaz conducted at last weekend’s NAMM [National Association Of Music Merchants] show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, Mustaine revealed that he will use a special instrument during the performance. “Dean Guitars has made a unique guitar for me that looks like a copy of a Stradivarius violin that had a baby flying V,” he said. “And it’s an amazing guitar.”

Speaking to the Phoenix New Times last fall, Mustaine stated about the upcoming San Diego Symphony concert: “Yeah, that is pretty bizarre.” He continued: “When we first started talking about that, it was kind of in passing. I was in England, actually, and someone said they would be interested in seeing my interpretation of the classics, because I’m very classically influenced. It’s what I like to listen to, but it’s not like I played it. It was tossed around and it went from me being someone who would do a narrative of classical stuff to someone actually playing it. I was pretty excited, but then they sent over their first two songs that they want me to play, which was some Vivaldi stuff, and as I listened to it I was, like, ‘This is really difficult stuff.’

“When you’re playing out of a guitar, it’s a different mentality, and when you play it on a violin, the strings are tuned differently, so it’s like going from playing tennis to handball. The same principle still, but a totally different finesse.”

Mustaine also spoke about how his involvement with the San Diego Symphony might change perceptions about heavy metal musicians in general. “I think that it helps again, like in 1992, when I covered the Democratic National Convention, it really helps our genre,” he said. “Because people don’t really think very highly or widely, for another variable on that, when they think about heavy metal people. They think we’re limited on the scope of how we are educated and what we’re made up like. And I think doing this will be really great, because a lot of metal people are gonna see some really cool music, and a lot of stuffy old classical people will see some great guitar playing. I think it will be really weird seeing people in the audience with monacles and tuxedos and some guy will stand up and yell, ‘Fuck yeah, Dave!’ [laughs]”

Upcoming Shows:
Apr 17 Pearl Concert Theater Las Vegas, NV
Apr 19 Pima County Fair Tucson, AZ
Apr 22 Agora Casa de Cultura Quito, Ecuador
Apr 24 Teatro De Verano Montevideo, Uruguay
Apr 26 The Metal Fest 2014 Santiago, Chile
Apr 29 Plaza de la Musica Cordoba, Argentina
May 01 Estadio Cubierto Malvinas Buenos Aires, Argentina
May 04 Espaço Das Americas Sao Paulo, Brazil
Jun 06 Sweden Rock Festival Solvesborg, Sweden
Jun 10 Le Palais Des Sports Paris, France
Jun 11 Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, Netherlands
Jun 13 Copenhell Festival Copenhagen, Denmark
Jun 15 Nova Rock Nickelsdorf, Austria
Jun 16 Aerodrome Festival Budapest, Hungary
Jun 17 Aerodrome Festival Prague, Czech Republic
Jun 22 Hellfest Clisson, France
Jun 23 Rockhal Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Jun 26 Rock In Roma @ Ippodromo Capannelle Rome, Italy
Jun 27 City Sound @ Ippodromo Del Galoppo Milan, Italy
Jun 28 Eishalle Deutweg Winterthur, Switzerland
Jul 24 Metaldays Festival Tolmin, Slovenia
Aug 01 Skogsrojet Festival Rejmyre, Sweden
Aug 02 Wacken Open Air Festival Wacken, Germany Sold Out
Aug 04 Rock Off Festival Istanbul, Turkey
Aug 09 Into The Grave Metal Fest. Oldehoofsterkerkhof Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Aug 10 Bloodstock Open Air Festival Derbyshire, United Kingdom

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