More than you might think!
First, a little lesson about nuclear fission from Wikipedia:
Nuclear fission produces energy for nuclear power and to drive the explosion of nuclear weapons. Both uses are possible because certain substances called nuclear fuels undergo fission when struck by fission neutrons, and in turn emit neutrons when they break apart. This makes possible a self-sustaining chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate in a nuclear reactor or at a very rapid uncontrolled rate in a nuclear weapon.
Composer Robinson McClellan has written a cantata called "Nuclear Introspection: A Cantata for Contemplation. In it, he deals with the dual nature of nuclear fission:
Armed with a modest understanding of the subject, I tackled the cantata. I worked closely with the poet, whose textual and musical insights helped build a piece with many layers of meaning, imagery, and symbol . . . My cantata offers a way to approach the deeper emotions of the issue from a contemplative perspective, where genuine respect and acknowledgment of present suffering can blend with constructive hopefulness for the future, providing an emotional foundation for future practical efforts to avoid such accidents.
The title of the cantata is “This Ravelled Dust–Cantata for a Nuclear Age.” This work, along with others associated with positive and negative aspects of nuclear fission, will soon be performed in a de-commissioned reactor that is in the process of becoming a museum and part of the National Park system. Read more about it here.
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