Piano Forum

Well at one point in time it was all anybody played. It's still really popular, but I think it's not as performed as it used to be. Its reputation as an "easy" concerto only comes from a comparison to something like Prokofiev's 2nd or Rachmaninoff's 3rd, which are uber-virtuosic pieces. The Grieg Concerto is still very difficult, especially the third movement, and if you love it, and have the chops to play it (and your teacher recommends it), by all means bring it to the competition! Basically every concerto you will hear has been played a million times already, so there is no harm in playing something famous as a concerto. In a way, the concerto(s) you play say a lot about your taste and personality as a musician, so by all means play the ones that resonate with you. I would absolutely play Rachmaninoff's 2nd or 3rd, for instance, but not the 4th, because it doesn't resonate with me in the same way.