Charles Mackerras authority on Mozart's operas and those of Sir Arthur Sullivan. His ballet with John Cranko, "Pineapple Poll", is an arrangement of Sullivan music with a story based on one of W. S. Gilbert's "Bab Ballads". The piece premiered in 1951, soon after the expiration of copyright on Sullivan's music, and continues to be a popular light music favourite in English speaking countries. Mackerras later arranged music by Giuseppe Verdi for the ballet "The Lady and the Fool". He also arranged a suite from John Ireland's score for the 1946 film "The Overlanders", after Ireland's death in 1962. He became principal
History of ballet still be several decades before most countries outside of Europe could claim their own professional ballet companies, however. Sergei Diaghilev brought ballet full-circle back to Paris when he opened his company, Ballets Russes. It was made up of dancers from the Russian exile community in Paris after the Revolution. Diaghilev and composer Igor Stravinsky merged their talents to bring Russian folklore to life in "The Firebird" and "Petrushka" choreographed by Fokine. Diaghilev's next choreographic commissions went to Nijinsky. His First ballet was "L'apres-midi d'un Faune" (Afternoon of a Faun) to music by Debussy. It was notable for its two dimensional