Of all the figures central to sacred choral works, Elijah in Mendelssohn’s oratorio of the same name is a gift for the right singer.

Bass Stuart Young accepted it enthusiastically in this performance with a portrayal of the Old Testament prophet that sometimes suggested ironically that the assumption of a larger-than-life persona is almost impossible for a mere mortal.

Actually, it’s just what Mendelssohn ordered in making all the characters, not only Elijah, appear fallibly human.

Young and the other soloists - soprano Julie Cooper, mezzo Martha McLorinan and tenor Thomas Elwin - are young performers associated with music-making in London at the highest professional level.

An appropriate gathering, then, for the last Society concert to be headed by its musical director Huw Williams, who is leaving to concentrate on his new post as head of music at HM Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, and join a glittering band of predecessors including Handel and Tallis. The delightful cameo part of The Child was sung by Mr Williams’s daughter, Emma.

The choir, at full complement, gave him a rousing send-off, ably supported by the Regency Sinfonia, its regular orchestral partners.

One of the tragedies of music is the cynical dismissal of Mendelssohn as a properly serious composer. Elijah confounds all that, with often complex and descriptive writing for choir and orchestra and surpassing highlights, not least the prophet’s opening declamation.

This is a populous work, despite moments of reflection, but it didn’t stop the choir being expansive and upbeat, especially in capping significant stages in the narrative. The final chorus, optimistic and well-meaning, seemed to carry an added dimension of goodwill. How fitting!