HE PLAYED THE PIANO STANDING UP

In March 1974, a slightly timid Michel Berger asked France Gall to listen to a song he had written with her in mind. He gently played a few notes and sang words that left no doubt:
When I’m alone and free to dream / I dream that I’m in your arms / I dream that I quietly make / A declaration, my declaration...

"Ninety minutes of chills." He Played the Piano Standing Up, an evocation of Michel Berger’s meteoric career, touches on identity for those who grew up with the hits of this beloved pop genius. But the tribute, staged by Françoise Courvoisier at Les Amis, still had to capture the energy and poetry of the songs the composer so generously wrote for Véronique Sanson, Françoise Hardy, France Gall, Daniel Balavoine, and Johnny Hallyday. Mission accomplished.

Leading a tight four-piece band, Antoine Courvoisier brings back to life the fiery piano of that shooting star who disappeared at 44 — as well as the shadows of a man who had endured so much loss.

— M-P Genecand, Le Temps