Yakov Flier
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Yakov Vladimirovich Flier (Russian: Яков Владимирович Флиер; b. Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia; October 21, 1912; d. 1977; last name also spelled Fliere or Fliyer) was a Russian concert pianist and teacher.
Flier studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Konstantin Igumnov. By the 1930s he had become one of the most prominent Russian concert pianists. He mainly performed Romantic piano music, although he also played some contemporary music by the Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky. He taught piano for many years at the Moscow Conservatory. His notable students include Rodion Shchedrin, Viktoria Postnikova, Mikhail Pletnev, Lev Vlasenko, Mikhaïl Faerman, Bella Davidovich, Regina Shamvili, Shoshana Rudiakov, and Mūza Rubackytė.
He was a contemporary and sometime rival of Emil Gilels. In the 1960s and 1970s Flier began to perform in Europe.