site.btaStefan Valdobrev and The Usual Suspects Record at Thracian Sanctuary Beglik Tash for The Acoustics of Bulgaria Project

Stefan Valdobrev and The Usual Suspects recorded on Sunday at the Thracian sanctuary Beglik Tash near Primorsko as part of their project The Acoustics of Bulgaria.

There, the musicians worked on the song Equinox, the sixth piece in the project. Valdobrev told BTA that although he had visited Beglik Tash many times over the years, it was only in adulthood that he began to realize the power of the place.

“After that, I began to delve into its essence, to inform myself, to understand the meaning of the Thracian rituals, ceremonies, solstices, and equinoxes – what the Thracians once did here. And that attracted me more and more,” the musician said.

That is why, when he decided to create The Acoustics of Bulgaria, he came to Beglik Tash, exploring and clapping between the stones in search of spots with good acoustics for recording.

“And here we are - we decided to create a new song titled Equinox. What is most interesting, as we announced at the BTA press conference in May, is that for the songs linked to Thracian sanctuaries and sites, the instruments will be tuned differently - at 432 hertz, not at 440 as bands usually play today, nor 442 as symphony orchestras are tuned,” Valdobrev noted.

He explained that scholars have proven that Thracian music instruments were tuned to 432 hertz, a tuning much closer to the vibrations of the Earth. “Cosmic vibrations, let’s call them that,” Valdobrev said.

“They create harmony, balance, and calmness. And the more the world has sped up over the years, the more instrument tuning has increased, becoming more tense - especially in the 20th century, which saw the greatest rise in tuning. This reflects the rising pace of tension. So we decided to go back in time and make a song tuned at 432 hertz, as in the time of Orpheus,” Stefan Valdobrev added.