Britten: War Requiem / Royal College of Music
“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 no less 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…”
Seen and Heard International
Clito: Alessandro / London Handel Festival
“The characterful bass James Oldfield.”
The Times
Haydn: Nelson Mass / Manchester Camerata
“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.”
SheffieldTelegraph
Forester: The Cunning Little Vixen / Royal College of Music
“Outstanding performances from Sadhbh Dennedy (a slender, jodphured, vivacious Sharp-Ears) and James Oldfield (Forester)…”
The Independent
“James Oldfield sang 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.”
Opera
“James Oldfield, a terrific baritone full of depth and humanity.”
Opera Now
“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.”
The Spectator
“James Oldfield…projected both words and character vividly.”
The Times
“Figaro: Le nozze di Figaro / Garsington Opera
James Oldfield's quizzical and unshowy Figaro has promise…”
The Observer
“”(Sophie Bevan) shared a sweet sense of complicity with James Oldfield’s congenial Figaro…”
Opera
“…Figaro and Susanna, were richly interpreted by James Oldfield and Sophie Bevan respectively.”
Seen and Heard
“…James Oldfield is a confident Figaro…”
The Stage
“The ideal Figaro should probably have more impishness than James Oldfield, but this young professional grew more mobile with each act, and you can’t deny the promise of that robust bass-baritone voice.”
The Times
“As Figaro, Oldfield could easily be mistaken for Bryn Terfel. In ‘Se vuol ballare’ and ‘Non più andrai’ Oldfield had a commanding tone…”
Classical Source
Innkeeper & Sergeant: Manon Lescaut / Chelsea Opera Group
“James Oldfield was nicely convincing in his dual roles of the innkeeper and a sergeant.”
Music and Vision
The Fairy Queen / Retrospect Ensemble
"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)."
Opera Britannia
Nick Shadow: The Rake’s Progress / Royal College of Music
“The most successful of the major characters was the mischievous Nick Shadow, who pulls the strings of Rakewell. James Oldfield is a tall and overbearing personality but with the cheeky sparkle in his eye – wonderful stuff and this found ideal realisation in his aria that seduces Tom to throw caution to the wind and marry Baba, the bearded lady. His movements and his hand over the shoulder of Tom expressed the part very well. It was good that Oldfield’s powerful bass-baritone voice thrust through the orchestration, too.”
Classical Source
Gremin: Eugene Onegin / Stanley Hall Opera
“…James Oldfield was never under-resourced as Gremin.”
Opera
Ludd: Ludd and Isis / ROH2
“James Oldfield excelled as the human voice of the puppet Ludd…”
Opera Now