It is arguably one of the most famous and acclaimed of English choirs, lauded for the purity of the young chorister’s voices and the soaring majesty of its performances.

So it comes as something of a surprise that the choir of King’s College Chapel, Cambridge has decided to appoint as its new musical director a man who has previously criticised the “nicely packaged” sound of “the very polite English cathedral choir” and even dismissed some as “hooty”.

What’s more, Daniel Hyde has admitted he preferred the choir of King’s great rival, St John’s College to that of his own alma mater.

The appointment of Mr Hyde suggests King’s College is ready to risk changing a sound that has captivated millions around the world with its annual Christmas Eve broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

In an interview given before his appointment Mr Hyde, currently musical director of St Thomas Church in Manhattan, told the New York Times there were aspects of the English choral style he was hoping to challenge, including what he described as “the traditional very polite English cathedral choir sound, where one is never louder than lovely, and it’s all very nicely packaged, and the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed”.