Another light-opera debut at this period was that of the clever Spanish pianist  and composer, Senor Albeniz, who conducted his “Magic Opal" during a run of considerable duration. A vastly superior work, however, was his “Pepita Jimenez,'' an exquisitely poetic opera  founded upon Juan Valera's famous novel by Frank B. M. Coutts. I witnessed the production  of “Pepita Jimenez'' at the Liceo Theatre, Barcelona, in January, 1896, and admired it so much  that I often wonder why the little chef-d'oeuvre  has traveled no farther.