13 June, 2010 | Mozart 'Le nozze di Figaro' - The Mail on Sunday
****
"It was a treat to hear James Oldfield, who only left the Royal College of Music last year, getting his chance as Figaro."

06 June, 2010 | Mozart 'Le nozze di Figaro' - The Observer on Sunday
"James Oldfield's quizzical and unshowy Figaro has promise."

04 June, 2010 | Mozart 'Le nozze di Figaro' - The Times
****
"This young professional grew more mobile with each act, and you can’t deny the promise of that robust bass-baritone voice."

21 April, 2010 | Purcell 'The Fairy Queen' - Opera Britannia
"Perhaps most impressive of all was bass James Oldfield, who seemed utterly relaxed and comfortable in his various roles from the outset and throughout. The mischievous glint in his eye in the Act III kissing duet was perfectly gauged, as was his merry, drunken opening aria. But his emotive expression was not confined only to humour, for he was also capable of commanding silence to tremendous effect in the final number from Act II - one of my favourite moments in the whole work: “Hush, no more, be silent all”. Similarly, when assuming the role of Winter in the conclusion of Act IV (an aria whose opening evokes the ground bass of Dido’s lament), the intensity of his subdued, deep bass really caused me to feel “benumbed with hard frosts”, despite the Wigmore Hall’s perfectly temperate auditorium. Oldfield possessed a good variety of vocal colours, and although he didn’t attempt the bottom E in his final phrase as the Poet singing “I’m drunk, as I live, boys, drunk” in Act I, the voice showed no sign of strain at either end of the expansive range Purcell wrote for the bass here (he was writing for the supposedly remarkable John Gostling, after all)."

15 April, 2010 | Purcell 'The Fairy Queen' - www.muscomh.com
"Among the male vocalists, James Oldfield stood out for his thrillingly resonant bass-baritone."

01 December, 2009 | Purcell 'The Fairy Queen' - Haaretz Newspaper (Israel)
"This is one of the most important and enjoyable baroque concerts of the season... particularly exhilirating was the outstanding voice of the guest bass, James Oldfield – a rare dark colour which really should be heard here again."

(translation from Hebrew by Noa Stav)

04 June, 2009 | Haydn 'Nelson Mass' - Sheffield Telegraph
"The four young soloists, soprano Clare Ormshaw, mezzo-soprano Carolina Krogius, tenor Robert Anthony Gardiner, bass James Oldfield, were extremely impressive, the latter – a true bass, and soprano, in particular, revealing enormous potential."

07 April, 2009 | Handel 'Alessandro' - www.operatoday.com
"At the bottom of the vocal scale was the warm, dark, yet agile bass baritone of James Oldfield, who brought both a calm dignity and emotional depth to his role as the loyal but morally-troubled captain, Clito."

04 April, 2009 | Handel 'Alessandro' - www.musicweb-international.com
"The singers in the supporting roles: Ben Williamson, James Oldfield, John McMunn and Rosie Aldridge shine in the one or two arias each is allotted."

"Bass is in short supply in this opera, but James Oldfield redresses the balance admirably as Clito, the army captain whose brief rebellion forms basis of the opera's curiously inconsequential subplot."

01 April, 2009 | Handel 'Alessandro' - The Times
****
"the characterful bass James Oldfield".

01 April, 2009 | Handel 'Alessandro' - www.musicomh.com
****
"the engagingly bluff Clito of James Oldfield".

05 March, 2009 | Britten 'War Requiem' - www.musicweb-international.com
"Tonight we heard two fabulous young singers – tenor John McMunn and baritone James Oldfield – who breathed new life into this difficult and sometimes harrowing music."

"Oldfield was... impressive, he has more argumentative music, and he stamped his own personality on every note he sang. When they came together at the end in the passionate lullaby Let us sleep now, it was almost too much to bear as we realised the full horror of their situation."

14 November, 2008 | Purcell concert - www.musicomh.com
"Bass-baritone James Oldfield added authoritative support."

01 November, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - Opera Now
"James Oldfield, a terrific baritone full of depth and humanity."

01 September, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - Opera
"James Oldfield sang the role [of Forester] in a ripe, rounded baritone, as richly shaded as the forest in autumn, and brought a wealth of feeling to his final soliloquy."

09 July, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - The Spectator
"The humans were all sharply drawn studies, too, with the Forester of James Oldfield so wise, testy, relaxed and vigilant that one forgot that this was theatre."

06 July, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - The Independent
"Outstanding performances from Sadhbh Dennedy (a slender, jodphured, vivacious Sharp-Ears) and James Oldfield (Forester) were complemented by a lively ensemble of animals and insects."

02 July, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - The Times
***
"James Oldfield... projected both words and character vividly".

02 July, 2008 | The Cunning Little Vixen - www.musicweb-international.com
"James Oldfield already... has a flourishing concert career, and his assurance and stage presence are exceptional, reminding one of Thomas Allen. The voice is not far behind, being a rich, warm baritone used with taste and finesse – this was a remarkable Forester, commanding the stage with the kind of ease and fluency you expect to see in a much larger house".

01 January, 2008 | Monteverdi 'Vespers' CD - www.musicweb-international.com
"The soloists are... accomplished and highly musical in their phrasing."

01 December, 2007 | Monteverdi 'Vespers' CD - The Times
****
"The solo voices have a youthful plaintiveness."

29 November, 2007 | The Rake's Progress - The Times
***
"[an] adept bass"

26 November, 2007 | The Rake’s Progress – www.classicalsource.com
"James Oldfield is a tall and overbearing personality but with the cheeky sparkle in his eye – wonderful stuff."

25 June, 2007 | Le nozze di Figaro – www.classicalsource.com
"As Figaro, Oldfield could easily be mistaken for Bryn Terfel. In ‘Se vuol ballare’ and ‘Non più andrai’ Oldfield had a commanding tone."

02 March, 2006 | Le nozze di Figaro - www.musicomh.com
****
"James Oldfield, as Bartolo, produced what was perhaps the highlight of the evening with a mesmerising performance of La Vendetta in Act 1 that brought the house down."