The Piano Sonata was premiered by Jacques Février (1900-1979) on December 11, 1932, at a concert of the concert society "La Sérénade" held at Salle Gaveau in Paris. La Sérénade was an organization founded in 1931 by violinist Yvonne de Casa Fuerte, and its steering committee included Auric, Poulenc, and others. They aimed to counter the Société Nationale de Musique and the Société Musicale Indépendante, which Saint-Saëns and Ravel respectively contributed to founding, and featured new works by composers centered around Les Six, as well as contemporary foreign works. In 1933, the French premiere of Berg's Lyric Suite took place, and in 1938, Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks was performed. At the 1932 concert where The Piano Sonata was premiered, Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Der Jasager (both French premieres), and FallaHarpsichord Concerto were also performed. According to Henri Sauguet, one of the steering committee members, The Piano Sonata was a commissioned work by an Englishman, and Cocteau reportedly gave a negative assessment of the work, though the veracity of this is unclear.