MEGADETH's DAVE MUSTAINE Will Play 'Unique Guitar' During SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY Concert

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine will be a featured soloist with the San Diego Symphony in April in a program that will include Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries" from "Die Walküre", Vivaldi's "Winter" from "The Four Seasons" and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (the "New World" symphony). 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. Ticket are on sale now at SanDiegoSymphony.org.

In a brand new interview with Metal Sanaz conducted at this past 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]"