The opera Silvana is, in part, a revision of an earlier work of 1800 called Das Waldmadchen. The libretto for Das Waldmadchen, by Ritter Karl von Steinsberg, was revised and rewritten by Franz Hiemer into the libretto for Silvana. Hiemer was a second rate poet whose talent for dialogue was admired by Weber. Weber set some of his poetry, and wrote favorably of him in his critical articles. Weber also used some of the music from Das Waldmadchen in Silvana. Only two of the earlier work's pieces survive, but it is assumed that Silvana is by far the superior work. It was termed a Romantic opera in three acts, and is filled with comic elements that lighten the overall feeling of the piece. It features a mute heroine whose characterization is left entirely up to the orchestral instruments. She communicates through the orchestra, as well as through dance and mime. The opera's plot played right into Weber's strengths as a composer and his particular genius for instrumentation and instrumental personality. Silvana's character is identified with the romantic aspects of nature, and her voice can only be regained by one who seeks her with an open heart. The only love duet in the opera is between the tenor lead and the oboist, who with the cello characterizes Silvana's personality. Some of the finest music in the opera depicts the natural settings and the forces of nature which are at play during the scenes, such as the storm opening of Act III. It is not just a picturesque portrait of a weather pattern but sets the emotional mood of the entire act. This early opera reflects the ideas of the Romantic philosopher Schelling, who believed in the identification of the human spirit and human emotion with the elements of nature. His theories were to affect some of the greatest composers of the age, including Berlioz and Wagner.

Although this is an early work, and somewhat cautious on the part of Weber, some of the other characterizations are particularly fine as well, and show off Weber's early theatrical instincts. The villain Adelhart is a complex version of later Weber villains such as Caspar and Lysiart. His motives are colored by his affection for Mechtilde and so he is not the clear symbol of evil of the later operas. And Rudolf is no ordinary hero. His emotions and thoughts are expressed in the most tender and complex love music as he pursues Silvana with ardor.

The opera was composed in Stuttgart and finished three days before Weber and his father had to flee the country. The vocal parts were composed for specific singers in the royal opera troupe in Stuttgart, but the premiere took place in Frankfurt, on September 16, 1810. Weber and his father had been banished from Wurtemberg by the king. The charges that were levied against them ranged from embezzlement and theft to bribery and plotting. Weber's father had mistakenly paid their debts with money that the duke had given Weber to buy horses. The subsequent cover-up involved unscrupulous dealings and Weber's other creditors decided to take advantage of the situation. The king did not press charges because that would have meant an investigation of his own policies, but the two were banished permanently. Silvana was Weber's first really successful opera, and it drew favorable criticism even from his enemies.

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