When Rimsky-Korsakov edited the opera after Mussorgsky’s death he put Boris’s death scene last. Finishing the opera with Boris’s death meant that the personal tragedy of Boris was the most important thing. Certainly, famous singers who sang the role of Boris, such as Chaliapin, liked the opera to finish with Boris’s death. Nowadays the opera is nearly always performed with the forest scene finishing the opera. This was Mussorgsky’s intention. It is about the tragedy of the people, and this is put into words by the Simpleton, who expresses the truth through his simple words.