Saori Oda (Madam) in rehearsal for Pacific Overtures [Manuel Harlan]

WHATEVER Christmas means to you, in the classical world it’s Messiah, The Nutcracker, and assorted choral singing with a spot of Bach but rather more John Rutter. And as the calendar turns to December it’s all lining up, ready to go.

The first Messiah of the season is a classy one from Harry Christophers and The Sixteen at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Dec 5. With impressive soloists and a small, elite ensemble of voices, this will be the kind of perfor­mance that dances light on its feet, historically informed and top-league. stmartin-in-the-fields.org

More expansively, John Rutter is at the Albert Hall with his annual Christmas special on Dec 6, compering and conducting the Bach Choir and RPO in a typically upbeat Rutterfest with solo items from baritone Roderick Williams. royalalberthall.com

And for something more scholarly, the Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki is over from Japan and in residence at the Queen Elizabeth Hall for two nights, Dec 2-3, to conduct all six of the seasonal cantatas that comprise Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. They’re done here with the Orchestra & Choir of the Age of Enlightenment. southbankcentre.co.uk

Then there’s Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, danced by the Royal Ballet in a traditional staging that runs Dec 6 to Jan 13 at Covent Garden. Fully staged ballet doesn’t tend to attract high-profile conductors but this run has Andrew Litton in the pit, which should perk things up. roh.org.uk

And if you don’t mind seasonal opportunism, there’s a Wigmore Hall concert advertised as Willard White at Christmas on Dec 1 that doesn’t exactly breach the Trades Descriptions Act – because it does feature the celebrated bass-baritone, and it is (almost) Christmas – but has him in a programme of American song that bears no relation to the time of year. That said, his fans will be happy whatever he sings. And maybe the Hall will shovel in some snow. wigmore-hall.org.uk

Semi-seasonal is Edward Scissorhands, the gothic tale of difference, loneliness and love that Matthew Bourne turned into ballet some years ago, based on the fulsomely symphonic score that Danny Elfman composed for the original Tim Burton film. It revives as Bourne’s 2023 Christmas offering at Sadler’s Wells, running Dec 5 to Jan 20, with all the sassy, showbiz style that his New Adventures Company is known for. sadlerswells.com

• Finally, my pick of the week isn’t seasonal at all but nonethe­less unmissable: a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures opening Dec 4 at the Meunier Chocolate Factory. It’s maybe the most complex of the classic Sondheim “concept” musicals (more often done these days by opera companies) and to say it’s about the enforced opening up of Japan to the West in the mid-19th century might not sell the piece to somebody who’s never seen it. But the score is as good as Sondheim gets (which is to say unmitigated genius), with brilliant lyrics, haunting tunes, and serious ideas beyond the reach of standard Broadway shows. Originally conceived in 1976 as a Kabuki-style staging with an all-Asian cast, this Chocolate Factory version follows suit in what’s actually a co-production with a Japan­ese theatre company. To Feb 24. menierchoco­latefactory.com