Sir Simon Rattle is to become the next chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, succeeding Claudio Abbado when the 65-year-old Italian maestro steps down in 2002.
Sir Simon, who is 44, was chosen yesterday at the end of a stormy meeting of the orchestra which lasted for 31/4 hours.
"It was very emotional but in the end we decided to make a generational change. Rattle will take us into new territory. It will be a big challenge," said one member of the 128-strong orchestra.
The battle for one of the most respected posts in the world of classical music came down to a choice between Sir Simon and Daniel Barenboim, who has lived in Berlin for the past seven years as musical director of the German State Opera.
Berlin's political establishment favoured the Argentina-born Israeli, Mr Barenboim, but the orchestra chose to take a chance on the more innovative British conductor.
Insiders put the decision down to the changes in the orchestra itself during the past decade, with a turnover of more than half its members within the past seven years.
Sir Simon transformed the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra into a world-class ensemble.
He introduced audiences to the works of 20th-century composers as well as conducting more familiar classics.
But he is unfamiliar with the Berlin Philharmonic's core repertoire of "the three Bs" - Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner - and some critics doubt if he can make his mark so effectively in Berlin.
The orchestra declined to say how yesterday's vote broke down. But a spokesman insisted that Sir Simon was the choice of a clear majority of the musicians.
He becomes only the sixth chief conductor in the orchestra's century-long history, occupying a post previously held by Wilhelm Furtwangler and Herbert von Karajan.
Traditionalists within the orchestra argued strongly in favour of Mr Barenboim as a fitting successor to these titans.
But the younger musicians insisted that the orchestra must adapt to changing tastes if it is to flourish in the 21st century.
Sir Simon has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic on several occasions during the last decade, becoming the darling of critics and audiences alike.
