Boris Kaplun and his "calling card"

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A wonderful storyteller, a talented musician with an open mind, one of the famous six of the 70s, VIA "Ariel", vocalist, drummer, violinist. Famous Russian, Soviet pop artist - Boris Kaplun.

Biography and personal life

Honored Artist of Russia was born on January 15, 1951 in Orenburg. Kaplun Boris Fedorovich grew up in a simple family, he inherited his musical abilities from his parents. His father had a wonderful voice and could easily have been a theatrical tenor, but he worked all his life at a foundry near a blast furnace as a cupola worker, and passed away early at the age of 51. Mom sang and performed on stage as an amateur.

Boris Fedorovich has Ukrainian-Moldovan roots, his real family name is Capul. During the Second World War, his father, with his first wife and children, was evacuated from Moldova, but the family died, only he survived and ended up in Orenburg without documents. When I received my new passport,a mistake was made, and the surname Kaplun appeared.

Kaplun's mother with her first husband (who soon died) and son (Boris' older brother) also survived the evacuation from Ukraine during the war and ended up in Orenburg, where she met the musician's father. In childhood, he often visited relatives in Moldova, Ukraine, then almost everyone emigrated to Germany. Boris Kaplun, whose family remained in Russia, now lives in Chelyabinsk.

From childhood, Boris was attracted by musical creativity, having graduated with honors from a music school and a music college in Orenburg, he entered the Chelyabinsk Institute of Culture at the violin department with a conservatory bias. After 2 years, the violin department was disbanded, and Boris Kaplun moved to the conductor-choir department. Since 1972, he has been a member of the instrumental ensemble "Ariel" and remains its permanent member to this day.

The artist constantly participates in charity concerts, events held for students of musical institutions of the Chelyabinsk region, is a member of the jury of various festivals and competitions of musical art, and works as a teacher at the State South Ural Institute of Arts named after P. I. Tchaikovsky. In addition, he broadcasts on local television and radio.

Boris Kaplun supports active social and public activities, has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the organization "Teply Dom" since 2003, is a member of the board under the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Chelyabinsk Region and the board "For the revival of the Urals".

Famous Russianmusician, vocalist and drummer of the legendary ensemble "Ariel" - a happy family man, father of two sons, grandfather of three grandchildren. The eldest son Alexander is a talented pianist, he graduated from the College. Gnesinykh, sound engineer. The younger Alexei graduated from a jazz college and is better known as a member of the Uma2rman band.

The Honored Artist of Russia loves to spend time outdoors in his house, located in a pine forest on the lake near Mias. Boris Kaplun, whose biography is full of bright moments and events, is also known as the owner of a unique mustache. They were first invented specifically for the image suitable for the song "Baba Yaga", but they remained his calling card for life.

The beginning of the creative path

In 1970 he joined the team of the VIA "Ariel", became interested in playing the drums. There were cases when a musician, participating in a concert, played drums and violin. The group won its first victory at the Silver Strings, becoming a laureate, and Boris Kaplun and Alexander Gradsky shared the first prize. The group performed the composition "They gave to the young", "The swan lagged behind" and "Golden Dreams" by the legendary The Beatles. They began to talk and write about the group in newspapers, and after performing at a competition in Liepaja in 1972, fame and popularity came.

After graduating from the institute in 1974, thanks to his participation in the group, he firmly settled in Chelyabinsk. In February of the same year, the musician became a full-time employee of the Chelyabinskof the regional philharmonic society, is engaged in the creation of arrangements, his own musical works, improvises on drums.

History of VIA "Ariel"

Ariel was formed in 1967. It just so happened, but three Lions became its founders: Fidelman, Gurov, Ratner. Together they worked until 1970 until Valery Yarushin and Boris Kaplun joined them.

First appearing on the big stage in 1971, the ensemble immediately became a laureate of the All-Russian competition. The following year, the group won first place at the Liepaja Amber festival. The guys were noticed, their songs immediately became popular hits. Since 1974, the Ariel team has been working at the Chelyabinsk Philharmonic Society, becoming the winner of various competitions and music festivals, including the Fifth All-Union Competition of Variety Artists. In 1975, their debut album was released. Musical Russian folklore has become the main style of the repertoire.

In 1989, Valery Yarushin left the group and began his solo career. However, in 2006 a conflict arose due to the fact that V. Yarushin began to use the name of the ensemble in his joint performances with his son and daughter, sometimes misleading the audience. For this reason, there was a problem of misunderstanding between former colleagues, which has not been resolved so far.

"Ariel" become a member of many all-Union, international festivals, the team toured Europe, the United States, which was rare during the Soviet era. After the festival "Autumn in Arkansas" in 1992, allmusicians of VIA "Ariel" received the title of honorary citizens of Little Rock.

Now with VIA "Ariel":

• Boris Kaplun - vocals, drums, violin;
• Lev Gurov - vocals, rhythm guitar;
• Alexander Tibelius - vocals;
• Oleg Gordeev - lead guitar, vocals;
• Rostislav Gepp - vocals, flute, keyboards, piano - leader of the ensemble.

The ensemble works in the main genre of Russian folk-rock, uses stylizations of folk songs. Vocal polyphony is a hallmark of the performance.

Among the most famous compositions:

• "A cloud on a string";
• "It's raining outside";
• "Powder - Wounded";
• "Skomoroshina";
• "Cabman's Song";
• "Baba Yaga";
• "Given to the young";
• "Organ in the night";
• "In the land of magnolias";
• "Old record";
• "Wider circle" and many others.

Discography "Ariel"

• "Ariel" - 1975;
• "Russian Pictures" - 1978;
• "The Tale of E. Pugachev" (rock opera) - 1978;
• "On the island of Buyan" - 1980;
• "Invitation to visit" - 1980;
• "Masters" (rock oratorio) - 1981;
• "Every day is yours" - 1982;
• "Morning of the planet, suite" - 1983;
• "For the Russian land" (rock-thought) - 1985;
• "Beloved, but a stranger" - 1990
• Privet - 1993;
• "Noisy reeds" - 2000;
• Beatles in the Russians - 2001;
• "Through Maidan" - 2001;
• "The road is long" in 35 - 2005;
• "Ariel 40" - 2008;
• "Let's go back to the lakes" - 2011;
• "Noisy reeds" (LP) - 2014

The ensemble also recorded music for the films "Central from the Sky", "Between Heaven and Earth", in 2002 the song in the "Land of Magnolia" was used as a soundtrack in his film by A. Balobanov "Cargo - 200".

Boris Kaplun is a sociable person, he himself admitted that he loves to travel to different cities, to get acquainted with the world of different people. Creativity is the main thing, the greatest work of his whole life.