In journalism, which is what you do, this is called an unattributed quote. You're supposed to avoid those.
It was an anecdote, not an 'unattributed quote', and as such perfectly clear.
What you perceive to be 'at odds' is precisely the reason for those comments; because the RCO does not (and cannot*) sound the way the Berlin Phil. does under Rattle, they [some, unnamed, players, that is] wouldn't mind sounding like that every so often. In Brahms, for example.
That you somehow know how the entire institution wishes to sound amazes me as do not even cite
unnamed sources to non-verify that.
I'm not trying to bestow legitimacy unto Rattle's recording, I'm relating the story why I bothered to listen to it in the first place. Argghhh. How tedious.
* If you know the Concertgebouw (the building), you will know why.