Yakov Flier

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.

[2] His graduating performance in 1934 was extremely well attended, and soon after his career leading him to enroll in high-profile competitions.

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.

However, as a performer he stopped public concert in 1949 due to personal illness.

During his concert tour in the USA he performed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Left to right: Lance Dossor, Yacob Flier, Moura Lympany , Emile Gilels, André Dumortier, and Arturo Michelangeli at the 1938 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
Photo of pianists Emil Gilels and Yakov Flier (right) who took first and third prizes at the Queen Elizabeth international contest in Brussels. Pravda newspaper (Soviet Union). May 1938.