Adam Hickox plays Highgate [Olivia Da Costa]

MENDELSSOHN’S Elijah ranks as warhorse repertoire for the choral circuit, delivering a Cecil B deMille-style drama of ranting prophets, false gods, faithless peoples and divine vengeance that was much-loved in Victorian Britain – not least by Victoria herself who doted on Mendelssohn and encouraged the idea of him as an adopted icon of protestant piety. But if the thought of the piece conjures up memories of dutiful performances by warbling voices, think again – because it gets two outings this week at the Barbican that look spectacular and could well shake this warhorse to its very bones.

Conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is Antonio Pappano, the LSO’s high-octane chief conductor designate, on blazing form right now as anyone who’s seen his ROH Elektra can vouch. And the soloists include some of the biggest stars of the oratorio world: Sarah Connolly, Allan Clayton, Gerald Finley. Running Jan 28 and Jan 31, it’s the event of the week. barbican.org.uk

• A close contender for event of the week might be ENO’s revived operatic adaptation of A Handmaid’s Tale by Danish composer Poul Ruders – except it’s not clear as I write this column whether the scheduled opening night, Feb 1, will happen, given that the orchestra and chorus are supposedly on strike. If that performance is cancelled, the run does continue to Feb 15. And it boasts Juliet Stevenson, no less, in a non-singing role. eno.org

• Kings Place has a Scots theme running throughout 2024; and though it opened the other week with a strange take on matters tartan, the focus is clear on Jan 26 when that gold-standard choral group The Sixteen sing music based around the unequivocally Scottish 16th-century master Robert Carver – whose epic motet O bone Jesu, written for King James IV, is the centrepiece. kingsplace.co.uk
Annoyingly it’s running head-to-head with another virtuoso choral group, the Gesualdo Six, who have a concert at St Martin-in-the-Fields, also Jan 26, with music appropriate to this time of year. If you caught the Gesualdos last year at St Martin’s, singing a dramatised clandestine Mass for the anniversary of William Byrd, you’ll want to hear them again – this time with more Byrd alongside Howells and Arvo Part. stmartin-in-the-fields.org

• The semi-pro Haydn Chamber Orchestra is a north London institution, and has a winter concert Jan 27, St Michael’s Highgate, with eminent pianist Charles Owen playing the Schumann Concerto. But for added interest it’s conducted by Adam Hickox, son of the late and still lamented Richard, now following his father’s career path. Also on the programme: Beethoven 7th Symphony. hco.org.uk

• Bass voices rarely come more darkly resonant than that of Brindley Sherratt whose bottom notes can chill the warmest blood. So fans will be pleased to have their blood chilled not once but twice this week as he repeats the same recital programme with pianist Julius Drake – first, at the intimate Razumovsky Academy, Kensal Green, Jan 28 (razumovsky.co.uk), and then at Wigmore Hall, Feb 1 (wigmore-hall.org.uk). With Schubert, Finzi, Warlock on both bills, I’m not sure how much sepulchral depth you’ll get from these concerts – but when it comes, you’ll know.