Yakov Flier
Yakov Vladimirovich Flier (October 21 [O.S. October 8], 1912 – December 18, 1977) was a Soviet concert pianist and teacher.
Flier was born in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia. Growing up, he first began teaching himself piano but soon began formal study with the pianist Sergei Nikanorovich Korsakov. Because of his expedited development, at the age of 11, he entered the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, studying with Grigory Prokofiev, pianist and music psychologist, and then later with Sergey Kozlovsky. In 1928, he advanced and entered into study at the larger conservatory, studying under Konstantin Igumnov. His graduating performance in 1934 was extremely well attended, and soon after his career leading him to enroll in high-profile competitions. In 1935 Flier won the All-Union Piano Competition in Leningrad and became known throughout the country. In 1936 he took part in the Vienna International Piano Competition, where he won first place ahead of Emil Gilels, and in 1938 he took third place at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
By the 1930s, he had become one of the most prominent Russian concert pianists. He mainly performed Romantic music, although he also played some works by contemporary Russian composers Dmitry Kabalevsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, German Galynin, Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin.
He taught piano for many years at the Moscow Conservatory from 1937, although beginning in 1965, Flier was appointed head of one of the conservatory's several piano departments. He would continue his teaching duties until 1959. However, as a performer he stopped public concert in 1949 due to personal illness.
He was a contemporary of and sometime rival to Emil Gilels. In the 1960s and 1970s, Flier began to perform in Europe. During his concert tour in the USA he performed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
He died in 1977 in Moscow, aged 65.
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