THE WALTZ (GRAMOPHONE) is a piece from the original soundtrack I composed for the Mikhail Bulgakov play "THEATRICAL NOVEL" directed by Lyuba Todorova.

Below is information about the play in Bulgarian:

Режисура и драматургична версия: Люба Тодорова
Сценография и костюми: Антония Соколова
Композитор: Илко Биров
Фотограф: Петър Недялков

Участват: Мануела Минкова, Яна Зайкова, Димитър Василев, Николай Ганчев, Димитър Крумов

За театъра, без който Булгаков не можеше да живее, както морфинистът без морфин.
Попаднеш ли в театъра, струва ти се, че си нещо пò така от другите хора: по-силен, по-гениален, по-хуманен, по-необходим, по-чувствителен. Самозабравяш се, подгонва те амбицията на всяка цена да бъдеш артист и бързо попадаш между зъбчатите колела на театралната машинария, която винаги иска своето и никога това, което ти самият искаш. И тогава настъпва деформацията – неволна, най-често неосъзната, но и неизменна – на попадналия в театъра поетичен характер. Нищо не е такова, каквото е било в очите ти, когато за пръв път си пристъпил зад кулисите. Нещо повече – нищо не е такова, каквото би трябвало да бъде.
То вече е в нас, "ще се развива и ще ни изсмуче" – и днес, и по времето, в което Булгаков е започнал да излива своя незавършен "Театрален роман" на хартия. Но когато авторът посяга към смъртта през ръката на героя си Сергей Леонтиевич Максудов, и то само заради провала в изкуството, се случва нещо особено...
Лентата на живота започва странно да превърта и да напомня за нещо друго:

"Театърът тъне в полумрак. Стоя до рампата. Гледам как художничката Аврора Госие обикаля въртящия се кръг с линийката, как я допира леко до пода. Светлата коса на Госие ту припламва като подпалена, когато тя се навежда към края на рампата, ту гасне и става като пепел. И аз си мисля, че всичко, което става сега, което се влачи така мъчително, всичко ще получи своя завършек..."

Люба Тодорова

"Театрален роман" е един от четирите селектирани проекта в онлайн работилницата на „Малък сезон 2020“ (част от Културния календар на Столична община), които получиха възможността и подкрепата да бъдат реализирани на сцената на Сфумато през настоящия сезон.

The Waltz (Gramophone) - Theatrical Novel OST

Recorded live during the winter of 2015
Using an alternate guitar tuning

The English And Scottish Popular Ballads
by Francis James Child, also known as the
Child Ballads, have for many years been a
a fountain of inspiration for me
www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/index.htm

lyrics

Lizie Wan sits at her father’s bower-door,
Weeping and making a mane,
And by there came her father dear:
‘What ails thee, Lizie Wan?’
‘I ail, and I ail, dear father,’ she said,
‘And I’ll tell you a reason for why;
There is a child between my twa sides,
Between my dear Billy and I.’

Now Lizie Wan sits at her father’s bower-door,
Sighing and making a mane,
And by there came her brother dear:
‘What ails thee, Lizie Wan?’
‘I ail, I ail, dear brither,’ she said,
‘And I’ll tell you a reason for why;
There is a child between my twa sides,
Between you, dear Billy, and I.’

‘And hast thou tald father and mother o that?
And hast thou tald sae o me?’
And he has drawn his gude braid sword,
That hung down by his knee.

And he has cutted aff Lizie Wan’s head,
And her fair body in three,
And he’s awa to his mothers bower,
And sair aghast was he.
‘What ails thee, what ails thee, Geordy Wan?
What ails thee sae fast to rin?

For I see by thy ill colour
Some fallow’s deed thou hast done.’
‘Some fallow’s deed I have done, mother,
And I pray you pardon me;
For I’ve cutted aff my greyhound’s head;
He wadna rin for me.’
‘Thy greyhound’s bluid was never sae red,
O my son Geordy Wan!

For I see by thy ill colour
Some fallow’s deed thou hast done.’
‘Some fallow’s deed I hae done, mother,
And I pray you pardon me;
For I hae cutted aff Lizie Wan’s head
And her fair body in three.’

‘O what wilt thou do when thy father comes hame,
O my son Geordy Wan?’
‘I’ll set my foot in a bottomless boat,
And swim to the sea-ground.’
‘And when will thou come hame again,
O my son Geordy Wan?’
‘The sun and the moon shall dance on the green
That night when I come hame.’

credits

released June 24, 2023
music - Ilko Birov
words - traditional, from this collection of Child Ballads
(www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch051.htm)

Lizie Wan (Live 2015)

Baby blue, why don't you
Come into my world and
Shine your light
Take me in
Be my Godiva

Heaven can wait for the right time to call
I'm only passing by, yeah

Baby blue

Don't think about me
Don't think about me babe
Don't think about me
When your ship is sinking

Baby blue, right on cue
Worlds are colliding, you
Stood aside, melted minds
Mercury rising

Heaven can wait for the right time to call
I'm only killing time, yeah

Baby blue

Don't think about me
Don't think about me babe
Don't think about me
When your ship is sinking

released July 21, 2023
music and lyrics: Ilko Birov
guitars, bass, vocals, tambourine, strings: Ilko Birov
sitar: Konstantin Kuchev
drums: Mason R

Baby Blue

The Legends Of Yippie is a 4 player cooking game, where the player needs to protect its customers from all hordes of evil goblins. The land of Boralius used to be peaceful place. The people all lived and cooked together, until one day Yeet was born. Yeet grew up in violence, and this has led him to grow numb, fearless, ambitious, and powerful. Yeet has no conscious, and this very thing is what threatens the existence of everyone and everything. Because Yeet will not stop until he has everyone, and everything under his spell.

(Note: This is a fictional game and story, written by Ben Berkenbosch)

In The Kitchen (The Legends of Yippie OST)

sitting in my office chair
staring through the windows
everything is dark out there
and everyone is so blue

the world is calling me
under the midnight sky
waiting for a sign of life
like never before I'm fine
like never before I'm fine

walking home at night again
the streets are always empty
I'm thinking of grandiose plans
tomorrow's a brand new day

the world is calling me
under the midnight sky
waiting for a sign of life
like never before I'm fine
like never before I'm fine

music, lyrics, production - Ilko Birov
original cover photo - Kalina Petrova

Night Shift

I'd ask you for some loving
But you don't know my name
Where do we even start, oh babe
You tell me I'm your fool
In this masquerade
That I'm the one to blame

Well I've got news for you
And it might make you blue
And I don't mean to rain on your parade but
Nothing hits me quite as good as your sundress on display
Your sundress on display

You ask me for directions
I don't know what to say
We're both so far from home
The sun will rise again
But we'll still be this way
Playing the same old games

Well I've got news for you
And it might make you blue
And I don't mean to rain on your parade but
Nothing hits me quite as good as your sundress on display
Your sundress on display

music, lyrics, production - Ilko Birov
cover art photo - Pavel Nachev

Sundress Avenue

"What Makes a Man" was born in an unexpected moment of quiet observation. I wrote it while sitting alone in a restaurant, waiting for my food as the rain poured outside. A man walked in, completely soaked, to pick up catering for his daughter’s prom. No fanfare, no frustration—just quiet dedication. He loaded it into his car and disappeared into the storm.

There was something about that moment that stuck with me. The quiet weight of love. The way real strength can look like vulnerability, patience, and care. The song started writing itself then and there—unfolding almost in real time, like the story wanted to be told.

I recorded it simply, at home in my bedroom studio—just me, a mic, and my guitar. No polish, no big production—just the rawness of that feeling. "What Makes a Man" is a tribute to the unseen moments that shape us, and the quiet acts of love that often go unnoticed.

Original photography by: Kalina Petrova

What Makes a Man

Darkly melodic and rich with imagery, Mr. Punch unfolds like a faded puppet show at the edges of memory — where sorrow wears a painted grin and the crowd’s roar masks a quiet ache. Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, the song blends haunting storytelling with a subtle, theatrical undercurrent.

Its verses trace a figure lingering in the shadows — a watcher, a performer, a ghost of something lost — while the chorus longs for escape, for cold seas and silent stages, for something honest amidst all the noise. There’s tragedy here, but it’s dressed in rags of beauty and flickering light.

After a gig where the song was played unnamed, musician Delaney Davidson simply said: “Just call it Mr. Punch!” — and the title stuck.


He's sitting in a darkened stairway
Watching as the people walk in
No matter what you do or say
It's true, I'm nothing without you

He's learned all the tricks from masters
And what they preach is anybody's guess
The violent cadence of disaster
It's true, they're nothing without you

Don't wanna be swept away
Trampled by the crowd
A million broken faces
Shouting out loud
I wanna live by the sea
As cold as it may be
With Mr. Punch and Judy

He knows that laughter hides their sorrow,
As painted smiles conceal the pain
A tragedy in masquerading
It's true, I'm nothing without you

The curtains fall, the stage is empty
As echoes fade, the crowd is gone
A quiet stillness cold and tempting
It's true, they're nothing without you

Don't wanna be swept away
Trampled by the crowd
A million broken faces
Shouting out loud
I wanna live by the sea
As cold as it may be
With Mr Punch and Judy

Don't wanna be swept away
Trampled by the crowd
A million broken faces
Shouting out loud
I wanna live by the sea
As blue as it may be
With Mr Punch and Judy, laughing
Laughing at me

released on May 22, 2025
written recorded and produced by: Ilko Birov
cover art: Nadezhda Kostova

Mr. Punch

words and music: King Dude 
cover by: Ilko Birov & Haruspectra
mix and mastering by: Ilko Birov 

lyrics: 

Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Lucifer's the light of the world

Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Lucifer's the sun of the world

Eve walked down to the garden
Serpent said "Shall we begin?"
If God up above wants you so dumb
What kinda devil does that make him?

Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Lucifer's the light of the world

Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Lucifer's the sun of the world

Adam's scorn was upon Eve
He said "Woman, you made me sin"
Eve said "The true God came down from above"
Took a snake just to let the light in

Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Lucifer's the light of the world

Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Lucifer's the sun of the world

God came down from heaven
Said "What have you two done?"
Snake said "If that's the kind of God you're gonna be
Maybe heaven ain't so much fun"

Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Tell me what's that light? Lucifer's the light
Lucifer's the light of the world

Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Tell me what's that sun? Lucifer's the sun
Lucifer's the sun of the world

Tell me what's that love? Lucifer's love
Tell me what's that love? Lucifer's love
Tell me what's that love? Lucifer's the love
Lucifer's the love of the world
Lucifer's the love of the world


Lucifer's the Light of the World (King Dude Cover)

The Local Bar - what a cemetery can become in the wake of someone's passing..

Lyrics:
The sky is empty
There’s not one songbird flying over head
Asked God a question
Why do the dying always end up dead

There’s a drowning in the cemetery
Or suppose the “local bar”
It’s become my sanctuary
Because it’s where you are

I’m filled with sadness
There are no happy hour specials here
Sit by your gravesite
Strange kind of comfort knowing you are near

In contemplation  
What more I wonder could be done or said
Where was our Savior?
He watched in silence while the monster spread

There’s a drowning in the cemetery
Or suppose the “local bar”
It’s become my sanctuary
Because it’s where you are

Feel stuck in honey
Can’t stop the heavy flowing of my tears
It will get better
It might take eons, blue moons, might take years

Your life did matter
But you were never given a fair chance
It drowns the sorrow
One more for last call, save me, the last dance

There’s a drowning in the cemetery
Or suppose the “local bar”
It’s become my sanctuary
Because it’s where you are

Lyrics by: Tessa Laszlo
Music by: Ilko Birov
Vocals by: Theia

💛 Cully’s Way Honoring Cullen “Cully” Cisneros (2009–2025) by bringing hope, support & joy to kids facing cancer. 🎗️ MN-based nonprofit | #CullyStrong | #CullysWay 💛

www.facebook.com/groups/startingoverwithcullen/

The Local Bar

A playground of sorts for lyricist Tessa Laszlo.  She is the Mine. The Maker will vary. Together they will bring her lyrics to life.

The Local Bar

Mine & The Maker

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