If you were to look at Frederic Chopin’s early life, you would see all the elements of a happy childhood. His parents loved him. He loved his parents. His parents loved each other. They gave him affection and supported his immense musical talent. It was a trouble-free, refined life. And Chopin was seen as an elegantly mannered, fastidiously dressed and alluringly sensitive artist.

But it turns out that Chopin was not a happy camper. He spent a hefty part of his life depressed. He abhorred the sloppiness of emotions, was indecisive and unconfident about his life and public self, denied his family’s peasant heritage, and suffered through the political changes of his homeland.

In short, Chopin was a basket case.

At least that’s how Michael A. Kalm sees Chopin, one of Poland’s most remarkable composers and pianists. A professor of psychiatry at the University of Utah, Kalm and his wife, Janet Mann-Kalm, a professor of music at the same school, presented a lecture-concert, “The Music and Mind of Chopin,” on Saturday at Delano Auditorium in Castine. The 90-minute event, presented by the Castine Historical Society, included a narrative of the life of Chopin and a performance of seven of his piano works.

The Kalms have been working on this engaging combination of psychological profile and live performance for 10 years. It began on a practical level as part of Janet’s academic requirements for tenure at the university, but was also a marital collaboration of interests. Michael’s background suited him to look into Chopin’s life in an analytical way, and Janet’s musical ability allowed her to represent Chopin in his best-known mode.

But the project really began with a love for Chopin, said Michael. “That was always in place for both of us,” he explained.

For the presentation, the stage was set with a grand piano across the bulk of the stage, and, off to the side, an elegant sitting room, including chair, decorative background, candles and small table. Michael asked the audience members to stretch their imaginations, to go back to Paris of 150 years ago and imagine the home of a countess on the night of a party, which has dwindled to only a few guests. Remaining are Eugene Delacroix, Victor Hugo, George Sand and Hector Berlioz. In the corner, a young man plays the piano.

And the journey into Chopin’s mind and work had begun. It began historically in 1810, but was over by 1849, when Chopin died of tuberculosis. There was, however, no shortage of material left from those 39 years.

When Michael delivered his friendly lectures, which were both encyclopedic and humorous, the lights were on him. He spoke from memory of the factors that influenced Chopin’s life: his artist’s temperament, his family life, his country and the times. He spoke of his superb talent for mimicry and his supreme talent for the piano. There were Chopin’s friends, supporters, concerts, his love affair with George Sand, and his early death.

Then, Michael introduced Janet, and asked the audience to listen to the sadness, but also to the hope, in a piece of music. The light shifted to the piano and to Janet, who astutely played the illustrative nocturne, scherzo, funeral march, polonaise, mazurka, waltz or ballade. The two performers took turns in the spotlight throughout the evening.

It’s easy to be drawn in to an analysis of a great figure, and it’s also easy to think that some of the Kalms’ conclusions are oversimplified guesswork. Certainly, when Michael suggests that “despite” her feminism, George Sand was a mother, he falters with an inaccurate understanding of the range of feminism.

Regarding Chopin, however, the Kalms are sympathetic, understanding and interested in piecing together an accessible and informative portrait of his life and work.

They obviously couldn’t talk to the man himself, but have relied on biographies and on the confident insight that comes from being well-read in their fields and well-versed in the music. Their work has stood up to the scrutiny of groups of psychiatrists in other venues, and certainly must be seen as a unique approach to understanding a fascinating figure in music history.