pianoloverus
It's not the popularity, it's that there are particular pieces considered a "rite of passage" and if you don't play them, then you're not a "real" pianist.
Fur Elise for example. It's overdone because everyone "has to learn it" to show that they're accomplished intermediate players. The whole notion is false.
There are other pieces with the same false veneration, many of them popular tunes like Amalie, A River Flows Through You, and so on. You can disagree with that but my position on the subject is that I'm not interested in playing what everyone else plays merely because everyone is playing it. That's called a fad and I'm definitely not into anything of the sort. If I was I wouldn't be sitting in a tiny room screaming to myself in frustration on a daily basis.
And there's a difference between playing a classical piece which has been around for centuries and playing the latest arrangement of a showtune. It's not that music isn't "good" it's that I choose to separate myself from the herd of people all playing the same thing to showcase my own talents and skills in a way that uniquely highlights those talents and skills.
