Giuseppe Cencetti

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Cencetti

Giuseppe Cencetti (1809-1875) was an Italian playwright and librettist. His stage directions were very much liked by Giuseppe Verdi.

Giuseppe Cencetti began his career as a librettist and stage director in 1852. He was a long time stage manager at the Teatro Apollo in Rome.

He collaborated with impresario Vincenzo Jacovacci. Between 1852 and 1853, during the Apollo theater season he was the stage director of Il Trovatore and on that occasion he met Giuseppe Verdi.

In 1859 Cencetti was commissioned by Giuseppe Verdi for the scenic arrangement for the opera " Un ballo in maschera " [...] compiled and adjusted on the staging of the Apollo Theater in Rome on Carnival 1859 by the same stage director Giuseppe Cencetti (Milan, Ricordi, 1859).

Besides Il Trovatore and Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Cencetti staged numerous Verdi operas: I Lombardi alla prima crociata, Ernani, I due Foscari, Giovanna d'Arco, I masnadieri, Luisa Miller, Violetta (aka La Traviata, title which was changed due to censorship), Simon Boccanegra and Aroldo.