This report from BBC News:

   Rattle to lead the Berlin Philharmonic

   Sir Simon Rattle takes on the baton at the 117-year-old orchestra
   British conductor Sir Simon Rattle is poised to become the next head
   of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  He is expected to take over
   from current maestro Claudio Abbado when he steps down in 2002.

   Rattle is expected to accept the nomination, making him the sixth
   conductor-in-chief in the orchestra's 117-year history and a successor
   to such legendary figures as Herbert von Karajan and Wilhelm
   Furtwaengler.

   Rattle defeated the other frontrunner, Argentine-born Israeli
   conductor Daniel Barenboim, in a vote by orchestra members.

   Critics argue whether the Philharmonic is still first among equals,
   but it is certainly the only major orchestra in the world where the
   musicians and not the management choose the conductor-in-chief.

   Barenboim, billed as the more traditional maestro, is best known
   for his work on the established greats of the Classical repertoire,
   Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach.  Rattle, on the other hand, champions
   more modern composers.

   The British conductor, who turns 47 in 2002, has turned his previous
   orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, into a world-class
   ensemble.

   On top of his talent he is a master of the art of publicity.  Critics
   and musicians in Berlin have compared his good looks to the young
   von Karajan, who led the orchestra through its - at least financially
   - most successful period.

   Rattle's other advantage over Barenboim was considered by insiders
   to be that he is not tied to an orchestra.  The Israeli works with
   - among others - the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Tony Duggan
Staffordshire,
United Kingdom.