Berlin Philharmonic may vote out conductor

BERLIN, April 24 (UPI) -- English conductor Simon Rattle may end his contract with the Berlin Philharmonic amid rumors of turbulence between him and his musicians, a spokesman said.

Rumors of conflict arose after Rattle, 53, announced the philharmonic's program for the 2008 season, the Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

It is reported the musicians are to have a vote in upcoming days on whether they want Rattle to be their conductor. Rattle's contract with the Berlin Philharmonic reportedly is supposed to last from 2002 to 2012.

"The orchestra has a very democratic tradition. It's often called the orchestra republic -- the musicians decide their chief conductor themselves," Philharmonic spokesman Stefan Stahnke told the Daily Telegraph.

"The musicians like an autocratic approach but he's very collegial. The fact that he's English and not Teutonic can't help," James Jolly, the editor of Gramophone magazine, told the newspaper.

Rattle said his contract negotiations were "a perfectly normal process."