YELLOWKNIFE - You can't read a piece of copy about classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoy without seeing something about his showmanship.

From reviews to newspaper articles to his personal bio, Bolshoy's desire to bring classical music to life through words as well as music is clear even during his introduction, given by Northern Arts and Cultural Centre executive director Ben Nind.

Montreal-based classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoy addresses the crowd at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. More than just playing classical tunes, Bolshoy explained the history and sordid tales behind many of his favorite works. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

But it doesn't truly make sense until you see it in person.

For nearly two hours, Bolshoy regaled the audience at NACC with expertly-played songs, as well as the often sordid tales that surround the pieces. From tales of lurid affairs in Spain to composers lost to torpedoes in the First World War, he tried to breathe life into the classics, with some key points of levity.

"It's the national anthem of guitar land," he said of Fransico Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra. "It's just after aurora land. Not surprisingly, it's a bit warmer."

Bolshoy even managed to take a relatively noisy crowd in stride, joking about the peals of coughing (and odd bursts of cell phone noise) that popped up during his performances.

"I play a lot of dead composers," he said, before playing a Sergio Assad piece. "I guess it's making a lot of people sick."

"I like (Assad) because he is alive," he said with a chuckle. "So don't cough, or you will make him sick."

It seemed to work, as he launched into Aquarelle, which was a strong departure from the rest of his set. While many of his selections fit the usual mold, this one changed gears.

In its four passages, Aquarelle moved from quiet, three note repetition into fast, virtuosic melodies to post-modern jumbles of noise and back again, taking time to groove here and there in a very modern way.

The piece was striking, if only from an audience perspective; there wasn't a cough to be heard in the house.